Judgement Day
by the birdman in a blue box
Summary: A new Judge must pass a test and save his city.
1. The Fool

Over the Rocky Mountains and past the mutants tribes inhabiting the radioactive Cursed Earth lies the giant walls of Mega City One. Earth shattering artillery take their place inside the walls, ready to fire upon the horrors that threaten the safety of the sprawling metropolis. However the cannons would be nothing if not for the people that helped contain the city's crime rate.

Judges of the Hall of Justice, an elite police force of men and women who are judge, jury, and executioner, protect one of the last bastions of humanity from devastating block wars, mutant raids, Umpty dealers, and some of the most foul unlawful acts human kind can conjure up.

After fifteen years at the Judge Academy, and completion of the legendarily dangerous Hot Dog Run, Cadets are ready for their final test, completion of their first day on the job as accompanied by a senior street Judge.

Today newly turned Judge Andrew Grey will be assigned to Judge Dredd for his first evaluation of his skills honed after rigorous training in the Judge Academy. The question is whether or not he will make it through the day alive, let alone pass with Judge Dredd as his reviewing officer. Will Judge Grey be allowed on the streets dealing justice out to vile perps or will he fail like the tens of thousands before him?

Andrew hears the sound of the bugle awaken him from sleep at four o'clock in the morning. He rolls over and sits up on the edge of bed groaning at the sound of reveille, some traditions never die even after a nuclear apocalypse.

Andrew stands up and cracks his back as a chill runs down his spine, cadet's rooms are kept either freezing cold or blazing hot to train them to survive in any situation. Calmly he walks over to the closet where his street armor was placed last night while he was in slumber. He had passed his first test by disarming the armed Judge who had been delivering his armor, inability to wake up at the appropriate time would have resulted in failure of his final test and an additional three years of cadet training.

Andrew strips his sleep clothing off and folds it neatly before putting it away in the small cabinet next to his bed. Standing in nothing but his undergarments he takes the first part, a tight dark green t-shirt made to keep a judge cooler or warmer. On top goes a heavily reinforced vest that forms perfectly to his pale, muscled, scarred body. Andrew picks up a black leather jacket and zips it up. Next he grabs pants made exactly like his jacket and slides them up his legs.

Andrew looks at himself, seeing his progress so far, in the mirror. He looks like a biker punk, the leather jacket and pants coupled with the scar that runs from the corner of his left light blue eye over his lip rendering half of his face in a permanent scowl.

Andrew looks away and picks up the green boots and socks, sitting down in his desk chair and pulls the socks on before he puts the boots on and laces them up. Next is the belt, which is a darker green than the boots and socks except for a large yellow belt buckle in the form of a shield, he pulls it around his hips and clips it on. Next are the shoulder pads, on his left one is a yellow arch with long rectangular studs protruding every few inches, the right is an eagle spreading its wings. He secures the pads and then picks up his new badge. It is another eagle with his name on it in big letters. He slips it onto the empty space in his jacket and it magnetizes into place. The second to last part are the gloves which are the same shade of green as the boots. He snaps them on one at a time before reaching for the final part of his uniform.

The final piece is the black and red motorcycle helmet that covers half of his face. On the sides of his helmet are two red areas that come together in a red x centered in the front of his helmet. Above the x is a golden shield and below the x is his shaded visor to allow him to see through.

Andrew picks up the helmet but does not put it on. He must wait until he has met the famous Judge Dredd. After making sure every last part of his uniform was perfect Andrew exited his room for the last time. The door sealed shut behind him with a click and a hiss.

The hallway is deathly silent as Andrew's boot thumps against the hard ground. The younger cadets were allowed to sleep in to allow the new Judges free access to the armory without interruption.

Andrew walked in and greeted Judge Chives. Judge Chive was an old man with a potbelly. However he was still one of the best shots in all of Mega City One, and most of the Cursed Earth, plus his skill in making weaponry was unparalleled, allowing him to have a potbelly if he chose so. He was bald, with a multitude of scars and screw holes from various interrogations, with a flowing white beard on his face. However he always had a jolly old smile on his face which permitted him to play Santa Claus at one of the many churches that worshipped some religion deep within the cities bowels.

"Funny seeing you in full Judge gear." Judge Chives told him in a deep voice.

"I thought the same when I saw your potbelly but I kept my tongue." Andrew told him hotly.

"Ah young Judges, full of blood hotter than an incendiary round. You won't be needing those pea shooters today, today you get the real deal."

Judge Chives bent over and picked up a long black box. He opened it up to reveal the Judge's personal choice of sidearms, the Lawgiver.

"A handgun capable of semi and automatic fire. Shoots six different kids of bullets and anyone but you that tries to use it gets a nasty surprise. But you knew that already didn't you rookie?"

"Of course. I've been looking forward to this since day one."

"Just pick up your knife, ammo, daystick, and varying grenades on the way out. I also heard you were assigned Judge Dredd is that accurate?"

Andrew sighed and looked at him while he stocked the rest of his equipment into his belt. "Yeah, I've heard not too many have passed his tests. Apparently when two out of ten people passed their Hot Dog Run with him grading them it was said he was going soft. "

"Just remember Dredd may be tough but he is still fair. Although I've heard of him passing students who earn his respect. Judge Anderson can atone to that."

Andrew nodded as he locked a clip into his Lawgiver. He smiled at Judge Chives as he waved him goodbye and went to the front of the academy, ready for his first day and final test.

Andrew walked through the academy, looking at all of the statues of famous Judges. Judge Giant Senior, Judge Giant Junior, Judge Anderson, Chief Judge Fargo and Hershel. Finally even Judge Dredd himself at the end of the hallway of Judge statues. He stopped for a second and looked at the statues for a moment longer. These had been his mentors and his idols. Andrew had not been permitted out into the city, except for on the day of his Hot Dog Run, never having experienced popular culture in its true essence he had seen it through cold eyes in the holo tomes of the academy library. He would make his idols proud and be remembered forever with a statue of himself alongside these great men and women of justice.

Andrew looked away and continued down the long hallway. Continuing through until he arrived at the front of the academy where senior judges were arriving and leaving with the rookie judges. Andrew looked around the large room, Judge Dredd had yet to arrive.

Andrew sighed and walked down the giant steps to the foyer. Looking around to see if he had missed him, he was nowhere to be found.

Then the hall became quieter, not silent but everyone began talking in a normal voice, as a pair of heavy boots walked into the room. Andrew turned to the footfalls to see who it was.

It was him. In all of his glory, all of his grit, all of his steel there he was a few feet from Andrew. Andrew swallowed and stood straight as Dredd walked up to him.

Dredd was as tall as Andrew at six foot one. His face wore a fierce scowl on his lips. His lips and his voice tone was the only way to tell if Dredd was conveying any sort of emotion as his helmet never came off of his head. He cocked his head to the side for a moment before he looked up and down Andrew.

"Adequate." Dredd growled in a voice that sounded as grating as a bone saw and as coarse as sandpaper.

Dredd turned walking off and Andrew followed. Keeping up with the senior Judge by matching his pace.

"I am your instructor for your final test." Dredd begins in his sawdust voice. "The following are rules that determine your passing or failing. Loss of primary firearm or being disarmed results in an automatic fail, failing correctly dispense proper sentencing results in an automatic fail, being captured results in an automatic fail, disobeying a superior officer results in an automatic fail, and allowing a suspect to escape intentionally results in an automatic fail. Most rookie Judges are exposed to firefights on their first day, one in five don't survive. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Andrew replies as he puts his helmet on as they approach their rides. He is nervous, everything rides on this one test.

"Are you ready rookie?" Dredd asks him.

"Yes sir."

"Your assessment starts now."

Andrew looks at the motorcycle in front of him. It is the ultimate riding vehicle for the twists and turns of the city. The Lawmaster capable of firing .50 caliber rounds from two mounted miniguns on the sides of the motorcycle, equipped with a smart A.I. and computer to assist a Judge in any way possible, and finally a giant cannon sitting in the front for blasting their way through obstacles.

Andrew gives his half smile and mounts the cycle. He scratches underneath his helmet, not used to wearing it for long periods of time.

"Mega City One has a populace of over 800 million. Within that 800 million we get a call for over seventeen thousand serious crimes a day, with our current manpower we can answer up to six percent of those calls." Dredd tells him while he boots his computer up and pulls the list of crimes up. "Your show rookie, pick something."

Andrew listens through and is about to pick a crime when a van comes screaming past them. Andrew looks noticing they're over the required speed limit. "That one." He tells Dredd as his Lawmaster roars to life. Something small wouldn't hurt to start out with.

Dredd takes the lead and Andrew follows close behind him. Dredd flips his microphone down from his helmet.

"Citizens," he screams. "You are currently violating the law by being over the required speed limit. Pull over and receive judgement."

The van doesn't head the Judge's warning. Instead it runs over an unknowing civilian and kills him right on the spot.

"Administering use of deadly force." Dredd tells Andrew.

"Roger." Andrew replies as he pulls up alongside Dredd.

Dredd shoots at the van with his miniguns but the van replies with a hail of gunfire. Forcing Dredd into a different street which takes him up and away from the high speed chase.

"Drokk! Rookie you're going to have to stop that van on your own for now. Take it down with a minimum number of civilian casualties."

"Understood." Andrew told him as he unleashed a hail of gun fire onto the van. The people in the van shot back at him. Andrew needed to take these perps down and down quick.

Andrew stares ahead, there is a metal wall which would stop them dead in their tracks if he could nudge the van over to the left. Aiming for the right tires Andrew fired a few rounds and blew them out.

The rims squealed as metal rubbed the pavement. Sparks flew as the van cut to the left, colliding directly into the wall and folding up like an accordion. Andrew parked his bike and got off of it. Drawing his Lawgiver out of his holster.

Keep it together Andrew. It's just like an academy simulation. Andrew told himself as he approached the wrecked vehicle. Walking up to the passenger side door and pulling it off its hinges.

The perp who had been riding shotgun had not been lucky. A piece of glass from the windshield had gone through his eye and out the back of his head, He had been died on impact. Andrew ignored this and pulled his knife out of his boot. At least the perp had been wearing his seatbelt. Cutting the strap off of him Andrew pulled the dead body out and threw it onto the street.

Andrew crawled over the seat and into the van. The person who had been driving was dead as well so Andrew ignored him. However the criminal in the back was a a different story.

The person sitting in the back seat smiled at Andrew with a broken bloodied smile, or what Andrew thought was a smile as his jaw was half ripped off. This man was a motley assortment of tattoos and piercings. On his bald head was the biggest tattoo of them all. In big curving capital letters were the words PRAISE THE MOTHER MACHINE. The man pointed before gurgling and dying.

Andrew looked around before tapping the comm set on his small wrist computer that was built into the glove. "Control this is Judge Grey. Please send a meat wagon and a cleanup crew on 89th and Morrison. We have three dead bodies that need to be sent to Resyk."

"Affirmative Judge Grey. The crew will be there in fifteen, report to your commanding Judge and deploy from there."

"Affirmative Control, over and out."

Andrew slid himself carefully out of the van, attempting not to puke from all of the carnage. He had handled himself semi professionally but now that he had a minute to calm down from the adrenaline in his veins he could see how sick this truly was. The blood and gore was too much for the first day on the job.

'Rookie? Did they shoot your vocal cords or they blow your eardrums out?" he heard Dredd's dry, grating voice ask him.

"No sir, simply reflecting on the current situation, sir." Andrew responded as he went back over to his Lawmaster and mount it. "Where to next sir?"

"69th and Abbot. Two Judges are pinned down by gang fire and we are the only backup in the vicinity. Let's go." Dredd responded as he got onto his Lawmaster and gunned the engine, Andrew revved his engine and shot off after him. The two riding at a breakneck pace to save their cornered comrades.


	2. The Hierophant

Bullets shriek and fly past Andrew in a steady stream of gunfire as he rides his Lawmaster into the hot zone of bullets. Judge Anderson and rookie Judge Yvaine Richardson were pinned down in level 13 while trying to quell a war between two giant megablocks that each rose to over 200 stories. A bullet roams too close to Andrew's helmet and pings off of it, a hair width above the area that his flesh is exposed to the rain of unholy gunfire.

"Dredd," Andrew yells into his mic. "We're getting shot up like a practice target, we need to get to cover now!"

"Negative rookie, destination less than seventy feet and inbound. Be prepared to jump into the opening in less than ten seconds." Dredd responds as he guns his Lawmaster's engine.

"What entrance? There is nothing there!"

Dredd in response to Andrew's question shoots his Lawmaster's cannon and blows a hole into the wall of the approaching block. Dredd crouches on top of the Lawmaster, looking like one a horse jockey. Andrew follows Dredd's lead.

"Computer, negate safety protocols and activate autopilot." Andrew instructs the A.I. as the gap gets closer.

"Affirmative." it responds to his orders.

The hole is less than twenty feet away and it gets closer with every second. Andrew knows he needs to time this perfectly, if he jumps too soon and gets caught outside he will be ripped to shreds by the heavy gunfire or he will impale himself on the metal spikes and rubble. If he jumps too late he will be hurled into the support beams that barely hold up the entrance to the John Grisham block, bringing the first two floors crashing down on top of him.

Andrew clears his mind of everything except for this jump he cannot be distracted. The investment of years of rigorous training will show if it paid off or if it was a waste. Dredd jumped and a moment later Andrew jumped after him.

His eyes wanted to shut but he had to keep them open. Time had slowed to a crawl. Bullets, explosions, shrapnel, and the like moved at a hundredth of their normal speed. Andrew looked up and saw a pole, if he grabbed it he could stop his momentum to guarantee that he would be able to land his jump.

Andrew's hand reached out, the tips of his fingertips touch the warm metal. His hand wraps around the bar, the rest of his body continues forward, nearly wrenching his arm out of his socket. A howl of pain escapes from his throat and he drops behind cover. Years of training at the academy strengthening and toughing him up but that had still hurt. Arm nearly wrenched out of his socket as he heard a fleshy popping sound. Gritting his teeth as he fought through the momentary pain.

Andrew drew his Lawgiver and then dropped to the ground. His training took over as he took cover behind a giant slab of rubble. Pressing his comm unit button down he whispered, "Judge Dredd? Come in Judge Dredd." The radio was silent. Andrew was alone for the moment.

Andrew peeked over the rubble to receive a hail fire of bullets. He crashed back down to the ground writhing in pain; one of the bullets had been lodged in his left shoulder. Luckily his shooting arm was still in good condition.

Andrew peaked around the rubble; a group of about eight crazed block members were setting up position. The man leading the group was ordering four of them flank around to his left side. He had to act fast or else he would be skinned alive, literally, by these want to be warriors.

Andrew looked at his Lawgiver and gave it a small kiss as he always did when he needed his best aim. "Incendiary." he told the gun. It beeped to signal that it was primed with the ammo he needed.

Andrew breathed in one last time and jumped up, his mind a cold steel trap housing one though, survive. He aimed his gun in the center of the group.

"Attempted murder of a Judge. The sentence is death!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger.

A white ball of fire shot out of the barrel of his gun. It split off into twenty ways and began burning anything and everything within the small hallway the group had advanced through. The fire colliding and catching the block members on fire that escalated into a white-hot inferno.

The air was rank with the smell of burning flesh as it melted off the block citizen's bones. For a moment Andrew almost regretted pulling the trigger. He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard more dwellers moving up behind the burning carcasses. Andrew turned and began to run. He needed to find a better place to defend while he finds either Dredd or the other two Judges, hopefully all three at the same time.

Andrew dodged a few more bullets, blood poured from the wound in his shoulder. His head was on a swivel, trying to find a room or something he could hide in. He glanced up to see a partially opened door. Andrew sprinted towards the door; using every last drop of energy left in him to crash through the door and slammed it shut behind him. He ducked behind a wall for a moment as he heard the block soldiers run past him. Once they were gone he let out the breath he had been holding in since he launched the incendiary shot on those citizens.

Andrew couldn't see around the room he was in except for the entrance, which was lit by a low hanging light bulb. Improper use of electricity, if I find the people who dwell here it is an automatic seven-year sentence. Focus Andrew focus! he screamed in his head.

Opening his field kit he used the tweezers to pull out the bullet. Applying a salve that disinfected the wound, it always burned like someone was pouring liquid metal on his wounds. The final step was putting the automatic stitching mechanism on. He put it onto the end of his wound and it worked its magic. Moving up and down closing the wound to prevent it from opening again.

Now that he had applied his basic field dressings he leaned his head back for a moment before flipping the night vision setting on his helmet on. The room was aglow in a green light; it always took time to get used to as the green always strained his eyes. He stood up and walked forward into the room, what he saw nearly made him want to switch his night vision off.

Discarded body parts lay everywhere, some in piles, some pooling in puddles of blood. Heads, legs, arms, torsos, everything was there. Skeletons were nailed all along the rooms walls, leading up to a giant dome that was at least sixteen feet higher than where Andrew was standing. In the middle of the room there was a surgical table. On it was a naked, shivering, male who was missing an arm and one of his feet. But he was still alive somehow.

Andrew checked the room before moving up. He carefully placed every step before coming side to side with the person on the table. The man wriggled and moaned, his voice blocked with a gag and his sight blocked with a blindfold. Andrew reached down and pulled it out of his mouth and placed it next to him.

"Please kill me. I can't take anymore, just stop cutting me!" he screamed and cried.

"Civilian this is Judge Grey. Report." he instructed the man as he pulled the blindfold off of the victims face.

"A Judge? Thank Gawd you're here. Listen he's crazy man! He chopped my other block mates up and then fed him to those, those, those things! You got to get me out of here!"

"Calm down, where is he?"

The victim paused as his eyes darted to right behind Andrew. Andrew turned around to see a man in a black cloak crawling around the ceiling. He had six long, white, spindly, arms similar to a spider and everywhere he touched he left behind some sort of stick white fluid.

"Hotshot." Andrew told his Lawgiver as he raised the gun to the man. "This is Judge Grey, surrender now and await execution."

The man slowly began to morph the fluid together to create some sort of weird rope. Dropping towards the floor but stopping when he was about eight feet off the ground. What little Andrew could see of this monster repulsed him.

"Hello Judge," the thing spoke in a wet sounding voice, the tone behind the words was hollow yet Andrew could tell there was something else behind them, almost as if it was delighted and indulged in a passion for cruelty and malice.

"Come down to the ground and receive judgment. This is your final warning!" Andrew screamed at the thing.

"But Judge, its time to play!" it screeched as it lunged itself at him.


	3. The Chariot

The spindly spider armed man pounced on top of Andrew, Andrew swatted at him but missed pushing him away. Instead only yanking his hood off and dropping his Lawgiver. What he saw nearly made him throw up. Whatever had been done to this man had not been done in kindness. Its head was misshaped and malformed, looking like a seven year old had been given a lump of clay and a buzz saw and told to have at it, yellow teeth all sharpened like canines hid behind infected yellow lips. It smelled of rotten meat and its breath smelled like a warm corpse cooking in one of the cities vertigo joints ovens for a week. Dead white eyes peered at him in malice.

"You invaded my home Judge! now die!" it screeched in that wet, hollow voice. A taloned claw drew back and attempted to slice Andrew's face open.

Andrew reached down to his belt and pulled out his daystick. He snapped it open and swung the heavy metal baton at the side of the things head. It connected with a sickening, fleshy, crack allowing Andrew to shove it off of him. He rolled back and held his daystick up defensively. He needs to find his gun, he wouldn't be able to defeat this thing in close quarter combat for sure.

The thing threw a knife at him from the table after slitting the throat of the amputee on the table. Andrew bent back, his right arm touching down on the floor to balance himself, narrowly dodging the blade, and yelled, "drokk!" as the knife sailed mere inches above his face.

Andrew pushed himself up only to feel a slash run across his face and his helmet get knocked off. Andrew couldn't see anything, the room was pitch black. Andrew swallowed and gripped his daystick tightly. He tried to listen for something but the spider thing was quite. There was a hiss behind him and he swung blindly, missing and hearing it scurrying off into the blackness of the room.

He needed light, so that meant either finding a light switch, or his helmet. His feet began to scuff the floor. Trying to see if he could stumble onto his helmet.

Claws sunk into his side and he let out a wail as he brought his fist back to collide with his attacker. His fist caught the creatures face and swatted him away. Andrews hand grasped his left side and pressed firmly down, trying to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

Should have gotten those bionic attachments. he thought as he chastised himself for not thinking ahead.

Lights began to flicker on, not many but enough that Andrew could make out the outline of most of the objects in the room. It was an improvement but the odds still stacked heavily against him.

"This is boring me little judge." it rasped. "At least now this can begin to get interesting."

Andrew looked over and saw his Lawgiver. He slowly began to move towards it shen a talon caught his shoulder pad, scraping off it harmlessly. The mans talons were coming down for a second swipe as Andrew dodged it. Its arm swinging past Andrews body, he reached out to grab the arm and brought his daystick down onto the joint. Snapping the bone with a single blow.

The man howled in pain as Andrew dodged a flail of one of his arms. This distracted it enough to allow Andrew to roll and grab his Lawgiver. He aimed it right at the mutant freak and yelled for his hotshot. Andrew exhaled and pulled the trigger, an orange heat seeking bullet exiting from the barrel.

The spider creature looked up and saw the bullet. At the last moment it flipped or did some sort of move that Andrew was unable to see and dodged the heat seeking bullet. Causing it to slam and embed itself into the wall. Andrew swallowed, a more fear and panic arising in his stomach as he aimed at the creature again.

"Rapid fire!" he instructed and let loose a torrent of bullets at the creature. The creature dived, ducked, and dodged every single bullet. Moving as fluid and gracefully as liquid mercury, something that was not evident in its clunky build.

Andrew heard his blood dropping to the floor from his reopened scar. His heart pounding like a jackhammer, feeling the blood pump from his heart to his scar and out onto the cold, metal ground. It was as though his life essence was floating out of him.

"Scared little Judge? Looks like another one bites the dust! It's alright, just throw down your weapon and I'll make your final moments quick. You won't feel a single thing, just a quick snap and then sweet oblivion. Then you can go talk to all of the other failures in hell!"

Andrew felt something grow inside his stomach, it overcame the fear and swelled throughout his body. The reason he had become a Judge in the first place. He regripped his Lawgiver and then snapped his daystick out again. Looking up with clenched teeth and bloodied face full of rage he stared down the creature with a look of fire in his eye.

"Why don't you come here you little pussy?" Andrew growled as he pulled his Lawgiver up. "Armor piercing," he commanded and shot the huge buckets at the spider creature. It was afraid as It barely managed to dodge his bullets until one caught it in the leg and it was blown off cleanly. Blood splattering over the wall as the thing howled in pain.

Andrew walked over as he began shooting the rest of the things limbs off one by one. When he stood over the sniveling wretch he grabbed it by the throat and shoved it into a wall. It looked at him full of hate as its stumps attempted to strangle him.

"Citizen of the Michael C. Hall block, your crimes include homicide, attempted murder of a Judge, cannibalism, and attempted and successful mutilation of another's person without their consent. The sentence is death. How do you plead?" Andrew asked, his words deep and frightening.

"Galah, mother, damn you, judge, the tower, machine!" it screeched nonsense as it tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"I can't say I knew you'd say that," Andrew said to It as he raised his Lawgiver to Its chin. "But I can say that you are still one ugly motherfu..." Andrew began but was cut off as he pulled the trigger and blew the things head off.

Andrew grimaced as some of its brain matter splattered onto his face. His wiped it off and went looking for his helmet. Finding it in a corner with an arm bleeding onto the cherry red finish. He wiped the blood off, although it had already stained the helmet. Wonderful. I'll never be able to get this to regulation again. he thought as he put the helmet onto his head and walked back out into the hallway after checking to make sure that there weren't block maniacs charging through.

If I can get to a maintenance shaft, I could climb up to the next few floors without worrying about running into anymore of these freaks, he pondered as his hand began to check along the walls for an opening of some sort. There was a small door that opened and said exactly what he needed. Smiling as he opened it up, first checking to make sure it wasn't booby trapped. When it was clear he wiggled into the opening and began to climb through the vents that would lead him to wherever he wanted to go.

It was cramped inside with his shoulder pads, he wished they weren't so big. They could be a hindrance at times. All they really did was look cool in the end, Judge Foreman at the Academy has informed him of their use exactly like that.

He kept crawling along until he approached a vent cover. There was the sound of fighting. Andrew crawled over and looked, there was someone fighting off at least ten people single handily, and it was a Judge.

Andrew squinted and peered closer. It was Judge Yvaine, she must have been separated from Judge Anderson. She had run out of ammo because she was fighting some block maniacs off with just her daystick, they were on the ropes for now but he could see her getting tired and beginning to make mistakes. He had to help but if he didn't aim correctly he could hit her.

One of the block members grabbed her helmet back and another one punched her. Stunning her long enough for the others to group around her like a swarm of flies.

"We got ourselves a good looking one!" one of them yelled. "Time for some fun boys! Enjoy the spoils of war!"

Yvaine screamed as they began to tear at her, Andrew needed to act now. He reached down and pulled a flash bang out of his belt, shoving the vent cover off and crawling forward. Once he was free enough he rolled the flash bang in front of the group. He closed his eyes and pulled his body out as the flash bang exploded.

He counted to five, then it cleared and he ran forward. Yanking block maniacs off of her and shooting them one by one as he called out their crimes. They pleaded and begged but there was a handful of crimes that received a death sentence, attempted rape and murder of a Judge were two of them.

Once they were all taken care of he walked over to Yvaine. "You good?" he asked.

"Fine as I can be Andy." he told him, calling him in that pet name she knew irritated him.

"At least I got here in time, that could have been bad."

"It could have. Or maybe I could have enjoyed it."

"Drokk Yvaine, enough with the jokes, I don't understand how you brush this shit off this easily. Anyway where's your weapon?"

Yvaine walked over to the middle of the room and grabbed it. "I ran out of ammo with my current clip and had to switch to daystick. I was the only tactical maneuver appropriate for the time and situation." she told him as she reloaded and holstered her weapon.

"Where is Judge Anderson?"

"A part off the floor on level nine caved in and we were separated. I was trying to make my way to her position when they showed up. Where's Dredd? I've been looking forward to see if he really does have that giant stick up his ass."

"He does, I don't know. We were separated on the way in. Radio has been down so I can't get ahold of him. Lets regroup on the next floor and see if we can't get access to a computer grid."

"Fine. Let's go." Yvaine nodded in agreement as the two began to walk back to the vents. They had a long fight ahead of them, and it was only just beginning.


	4. The World

The maintenance shaft was boiling hot, sweat ran down Andrew's face in small streams. Andrew and Yvaine had been climbing up for six straight stories, their progress hampered by the small space and their bulky armor.

"One more story, then we can access a computer terminal." Yvaine piped up from beneath him.

"Glorious." Andrew said sarcastically.

"Hey, you're not the one who's been staring at your ass for the last hour, even if it is quite nice."

"I still never understood how you passed basic training."

"Because I like to fool around but I know how to get the job done?"

"Must be. Or you slept with all the teachers."

"You know I only slept with three people, yourself included if I may remember correctly. And to use your word it was indeed quite glorious."

Andrew smirked a little as his mind drifted for a moment. He shook his head clear and refocused as they came to the exit shaft to let them out of the hot, boiling furnace. Crawling down the shaft he came to the exit door which he cracked open a little to look outside to make sure the hall was clear.

"We're all clear. Moving out." he whispered back to her as he pulled himself out and then stood guard while Yvaine pulled herself out.

The hallway was in ruins, the block war had taken its price and it had been heavy. Walls stripped away to reveal the outside world, a twenty story drop if a person tripped and fell. Bodies everywhere, headless, bloody, gruesome carcasses that had once been lovers, children, friends, scholars, gone in an instant at a handful of crazed maniacs nice little war. Andrew closed his eyes and breathed in slowly, they had to move on.

Both at the ready they moved down the hall, years of training showing itself off as they shifted from position to position. One person would monitor the hall while another moved up to a different piece of cover. Then the other would move up and the other would cover the moving persons approach.

Soon they approached a computer mainframe, Andrew peeked his head into the room.

"Drokk!" he growled at the sight. The room was chock full with block maniacs, cussing, spitting, and drinking the spoils of war.

Yvaine had take a position on the other side of the door. Andrew looked up and began to sign with one hand, basic commands that every Judge were required to know. Close quarters, stealth, silencer, valuables, fragile, negative armor piercing, incendiary, high-ex, rapid fire. On third nod cover middle right. . he signed and Yvaine nodded in understanding.

Andrew nodded once as he pressed a button on his Lawgiver and a silencer locked onto the barrel of the gun. His hands shook, he had always been terrible at close quarter valuable retrieval, the one simulation where he nearly failed out. He took a deep breath, his calming method, and nodded a second time. Gripping his Lawgiver tightly he nodded a third time and kicked the door open.

Everything was in slow motion to him, the block maniacs didn't have time to react before Andrew opened fire on them. He placed his first shot in the head of the one nearest to him. Blood splattered all over the room as the maniac fell out of his seat. The maniac next to him scrambled for a pistol, Andrew shot his hand and popped a round into his gut. Causing him to bow over in pain as he fell onto the floor. The third one in his area was the trickiest one, he was on the computer. If Andrew missed or the bullet went through him then it was another ten stories before he could access another computer terminal. Lining his gun up he aimed for the area where his heart was. The thick muscle of the organ and the flesh would stop his bullet.

Exhaling, Andrew pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his skin and the bullet stopped, embedded within him. Turning to look at the rest of the room he saw that Yvaine's section had been cleared.

"Hey Judgie." a raspy voice called for him.

Andrew turned to see a block maniac had come up behind them while they were clearing the room out. He had an arm around Yvaine's neck and a sub machine gun to her head. He aimed at the maniac, his gun right in the middle of his head.

"Let's talk." Andrew said cooly.

"Yeah, you're going to surrender now and then we are take you and your little friend upstairs for some fun."

"Your crimes are attempted murder of a Judge, improper usage of official equipment, multiple homicide, and willing destruction of public property. If you comply I can give you life in the Iso Blocks without parole. If you don't, the sentence is death." Andrew said slowly, trying to intimidate the maniac.

"Life, without parole? Is this your first day or something? I've got the upper hand and you've got nothin, I think you should be begging us not to kill you instead of dishing sentences out. Understand me?"

"Yeah I understand you, hotshot."

"What did you say to me?"

"I said, I understand you, hotshot." Andrew told him as his gun beeped and he pulled the trigger. The heat seeking bullet went down his throat, his skin started to crack and peel apart as it heated up. The maniac fell to the floor, dead.

Yvaine looked unfazed as she bent down to pick up her Lawgiver. She looked up with a smile. "Well, well, look who's my knight in shining armor."

"Shut up, I'm starting to think you do this on purpose."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

Andrew growled, watching as Yvaine pulled off her helmet for the first time. Shoulder length blonde hair tumbles from the loosened bundle. Andrew had always wondered how she kept it up where it was comfortable and she kept it out of her eyes. Dark blue eyes peer at him with a youthful amused look hidden inside folds of seriousness.

Andrew didn't want to look at Yvaine right now, she had been his best friend while in the Academy but she still infuriated him most of the time on a good day. Walking over to the computer he started to look around for any signs of the other two Judges. After twenty minutes of searching he finally found them on the forty eighth story.

"Found them." Andrew said as he motioned for Yvaine to walk over.

"How did they get so far up so quickly?" Yvaine asked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Remember Peach Trees? They've done this before."

"Right. Lets go, elevator this time?"

"I wasn't fond of climbing up those maintenance shafts in the first place. If I am correct it should be just around the corner."

"Let's go." Yvaine said confidently as she slipped her helmet back onto her head.

Andrew and Yvaine reloaded their Lawgivers and peeked out around the corner, checking the hallways. The coast was clear they exited the room and walked down the hall quietly, trying to avoid alerting any more maniacs.

Arriving at the elevator they pressed the up button. The elevator came rattling up the elevator shaft and opened its doors with a squeal. The two Judges stepped into the elevator and pressed the forty-eighth floor button. The elevator creaked and rattled so hard it nearly knocked the two rookie Judges off of their feet.

"If we survive this I am grabbing the first civilian I see and giving them five years for neglect to maintain public transportation." Andrew said, his words coming out rattled as his teeth nearly took his tongue off two or three times.

"Not civilians fault," Yvaine begun her words coming out similar to Andrews. "They cannot authorize maintenance repairs, that is required by the manager of the building. Arrest him when we get back down."

Andrew looked up at the small box that told them what floor they were on, they had been on the tenth floor and had barely made it to the thirtieth floor. He felt himself being shaken so much he dry heaved from the elevator vibrations pounding into him so much, grateful for the first time in his life he had forgotten breakfast.

"How does anyone manage to…blaaah," Yvaine began before retching in the elevator. Her body fell forward and she barely managed to keep herself up by pushing on the wall.

"It's a trap, just remembered," he began as he dry heaved again and fell to the floor on his hands and knees. "Called a vertigo elevat…" dry heaving again, one thing would help them now. "Take your vertigo pill," he ordered while stumbling around on his belt for his emergency supplies. Finding the little blue pill and swallowing it down hastily, fighting the urge to cough it back up.

The vibrations began to lessen to the point where he was in control of his body once again. He stood up and helped Yvaine keep her pill down her throat; she was on the floor spasms rocking her body over and over again as she succumbed to the effects of the elevator. Soon she was able to stand and keep her composure.

"Out of everything to experience on a first day. Just think, the next eighty years we'll be doing shit like this all the time without a break." she told him as she wiped the vomit off of her mouth.

"If we don't do it, who will?"

"I guess."

The elevator doors opened with their trademarked squeal and the two Judges stumbled out of the elevators and nearly collapsed onto the floor. Andrew's legs were barely working from the vibrations pounding them into jelly. Yvaine hadn't fared better either. Pushing himself up he walked over and let Yvaine hook an arm around his shoulder to let act like a crutch to walk on.

"Thanks." she mumbled.

The two heard the sound of gunfire coming down the hall, stumbling around they began to walk towards the firefight. Peeking around the corner Andrew saw Dredd and Anderson pinned down by a herd of maniacs.

"Looks like we're the rescue squad. Can you stand by yourself yet?" He asked.

Yvaine nodded and Andrew propped her against the wall. He checked his ammo levels, one incendiary round, four armor piercing, sixteen regular bullets, two high ex, four hotshot bullets left. He would have enough to get this job done.

"I'm going to run over to the other wall to get a better angle of fire. On the third nod deploy incendiary and then pick anyone left off. Understand?" Andrew asked.

When Yvaine nodded he rolled to the other wall that aporia head the hallway. Steadying his shaky hand he nodded once. He manually set his bullet to incendiary and nodded again. Taking a deep breath he nodded a third time and shot the bullet. The white streaks of fire shot out of the barrel of his gun and lit the maniacs on fire. Whatever order and discipline they had was gone as they rolled around on the ground trying to extinguish the flames. Andrew swapped back ove to his regular bullets and one by one picked any survivors off. Taking the small group out quickly and effectively.

Andrew smirked a little as he motioned for Yvaine to approach the barricade. The smell was rank with burning flesh. The first time he had had some distance but now he was right in the midst of it. Fighting the urge to puke again he cleared his throat.

"Thunder!" he yelled out. Making sure that this was Dredd and Anderson.

"Star." Dredd growled.

"Phoenix." a woman's voice yelled out.

Andrew wanted to raise up to greet the Judges. But he remembered one last protocol. "How do you measure insanity?" he called out.

"You can't, not with wheelbarrows or spoons or cups or scales." Dredd responded.

Andrew knew it was safe now. He slid over the barricade and walked over to the two Judges. Dredd has taken a bullet to the stomach but he was dressing it now. Andrew almost lost his composure when he saw Judge Anderson.

Anderson was a woman in her mid to late twenties, semi attractive with brown eyes and shoulder length blonde hair. However her looks did not matter as it was her ability to read minds and probe them while scrambling them around was what made her useful to the Judges. Needless to say she was Andrew's second greatest hero, coming in below Dredd.

"Well Judge Grey, looks like you managed to find us and my rookie. Well done trooper." Anderson told him, Andrew nearly passed out.

"Adequate." Dredd groaned as he applied the automatic stitching and stood up.

"What now sir and ma'am?" Yvaine asked.

"Now," Dredd began. "We take the leader of this war out."


	5. Judgement

The elevator rattled and clanked as it climbed further and further to the top of the block. Andrew swallowed nervously as numbers rose steadily towards level two hundred, the last level and place that the leader of the block maniacs could hide. The four Judges had fought and shot their way through one hundred and eighty nine floors of heavily armed maniacs, the end was in sight.

"Remember Peach Trees Dredd?" Anderson asked as she nudged Dredd with a wink.

"Affirmative." Dredd responded dryly.

"So what is it with you that you make rookies have to shoot through two hundred floors of heavily armed psychos hellbent on killing us?"

"We don't get to be picky about our jobs Anderson. We just do them, that is our creed. We are the law."

Andrew smirked he had always found it a bit humorous when the Judges would scream out their battle cry "I am the law"! He hadn't gotten to do it yet, but he was looking forward to it. The doors opened with a ding, checking first if the hallways were clear, the four Judges walked out into the hall.

"This is easy. I don't like it." Yvaine pointed out as she looked up and down the hallway.

There was a noise metallic shuffling sound; Andrew frowned for a microsecond until he realized what the noise was. He grabbed Yvaine from the middle of the hall and slammed on the ground behind an over turned table nearby. Bullets filled the air with machine guns rounds as they zipped overhead.

"You had to say something didn't you!" Andrew yelled.

"Of course I did bongo head!" Yvaine yelled back in response.

"Don't call me names from the academy, we just graduated! That thing that happened in Holo Room B doesn't count!"

"I'll call you whatever I want, especially after what that monkey did to you!"

Andrew growled and grabbed his Lawgiver from his holster. He gave the weapon a kiss and then sat it on the edge of the table; he aimed it down a little so that it would have a greater chance of stopping where he wanted.

"Hi-Ex!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger and a slightly bigger bullet shot of out his gun.

Andrew pulled his gun back down and counted from five. When he reached zero there was an explosion and the sounds of shells hitting the ground.

Yvaine began to get up but Andrew yanked her back down. _Hang on, _he mouthed as he pulled an overturned fake tree towards himself. Grabbing a branch and snapping it off he pulled his helmet off and stuck it on the branch. Slowly he raised it up until it cleared the table. Holding it there for a moment or two before raising it higher. When the helmet wasn't shot up he put it back on and glanced around the side of the table. The coast was clear.

"So that's what your face looks like." Anderson said in mild shock.

Andrew's head snapped around to see Dredd putting his helmet back on. He had missed a golden opportunity to see Dredd's face, a sight sought after by many and actually witnessed by few.

Cursing under his breath Andrew stood up and helped Yvaine up on her feet. He was about to ask what their next move was when there was a hiss and a yellow gas began to emit from the air vents.

"Rebreathers!" Andrew yelled as he tapped a button on the side of his helmet and a small plastic piece dropped over his mouth and unleashed clean air into his system. He could use his radio with this thing on thankfully.

"I found a way out!" Yvaine yelled as she threw a door open.

"Rookie wait…" Anderson began to yell as a sharp spike pierced through Yvaine's armor and went out the back. Blood began to pour from the wound as Yvaine cupped it and fell to the ground as the spike was withdrawn from her.

"NO!" Andrew yelled as he ran over and grabbed the perp before he could get away. The smell of rotten meat splayed over his nostrils as he slammed it into the wall. His eyes bulged out of his head when he saw it was the spider thing that he had killed on the beginning floors. This one was just as ugly but had sharp spikes instead of clawed hands.

"Attempted murder of a Judge, the sentence is death." he said with rage and pulled the trigger on his Lawgiver. Shooting it in the head, causing it to fall to the ground dead.

Andrew turned around to see Anderson carrying Yvaine, she was in bad shape, blood poured from her mouth with every wet cough. She was looking paler and paler by the minute. Dredd just stared at her with that same rage filled look that always draped his features.

"I'll stay here and tend to her wounds, if the design specs we picked up are correct then the leader shouldn't be far from here. Go." Anderson ordered.

Andrew nodded and ejected his clip from his Lawgiver, slamming a new clip into the gun and looking at Dredd.

"Let's move." Andrew said to the older Judge as he readied his nerves and progressed further.

A million thoughts raced through Andrew's mind, how had that spider thing come back to life? Was there more of them? If so who was creating them and why? Shoving his racing thoughts to the back of his head he calmed down and focused on the mission at hand.

He pushed the door to the next room open, checking to make sure no elaborate death traps were present. The room was pitch black and had a terrible smell to it; he would have to use the night vision aspect on his helmet.

"Night vision." he warned Dredd as the room came into view in a green tint. Immediately he wished that he hadn't done that.

The room was crawling with the spider things of varying kinds. Some had twenty arms, others had three heads, while some had ten ears. It was a motley assortment of the macabre.

The group was huddled in close quarters at the top of the large domed shaped room, they appeared to be sleeping but could at any moment wake up and be upon them. Andrew gulped and looked around the room, one could hold its own against a Judge but the hundreds in here would over power them. Being silent would prove an obstacle as most of the room was covered in bones of varying sizes, it would take accidently stepping on a delicate finger bone with his heavy steel toed boots and the whole room would be a mess of miscounted limbs and rotten meat smell.

Andrew looked at Dredd and the two proceeded carefully. Tip toeing around giant and small bones protruding from the floor and proceeding to the door with relative ease. That was until Dredd accidently stepped on a small pile of bones hidden by an odd amount of sand that covered the ground.

"Drokk." Andrew said as the room filled with screeches and the sound of scurrying.

'Run!" Dredd yelled and Andrew took off, racing for the door.

The crowd of spider things crawled after them; Dredd turned and aimed his Lawgiver at them. "Incendiary!" he yelled and shot the bullet at the crowd following them. They lit up like a candle and began to run around screeching as they burned. Even if a sizeable chunk of them had been caught on fire that wouldn't be enough to stop all of them.

The door was in sight, Andrew rolled to avoid a swipe at his head by a spider thing with a meat clever attachment. His hand grasped the door and pushed it open. Running through the door and slamming it shut once Dredd was clear. Andrew pushed against the door as he grabbed a spare chair and jammed it underneath the door handle.

"What do we do now?"

"We don't do anything, you're going to get through to the leader. I'll hold them off." Dredd told him as he walked over and picked up a minigun, conveniently lying right where one would need it.

"But there are too many!" Andrew tried to argue.

"Don't argue rookie, you're in danger of failing your assessment."

"Fine, sir."

Andrew began to walk off. Leaving his idol to die at the hands of these freaks.

"Rookie?" Dredd called out.

"Yeah?" Andrew said as he half turned to face him.

"If you eliminate the leader in this building, then you've passed your final assessment."

Andrew smiled a little as he began to run off towards the last room. Dispatching a few remaining guards with ease as he walked into the penthouse apartment that was the head quarters for this whole giant block war, Andrew looked at his gun and gave it the good luck kiss that always calmed his nerves. The door was made of cheap wood, Andrew walked up and kicked the door down with relative ease. An oddity as normal doors didn't do that, he wanted to try that more for show as his nerves were near spent and he needed to seem as intimidating as possible.

Walking in the room was decorated with an elegant grace that was odd, Andrew had been expecting a lot more guns and corpses and well anything but a record player finishing up the last part of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony. Candle's illuminated the room from a silver chandelier. The room smelled of strawberries and kiwi's, pleasant after all the rotten meat smell that he had been subjected to all day.

At the back of the room there was a desk. At the desk a man wearing a white mask that went up to his hairline and stopped at his jaws sat there drinking a glass of white wine. Andrew frowned as he held his Lawgiver up to point at the man.

"Hello there young Judge." the man said to him with a slight British accent.

"Are you in charge of this, this, massacre?" Andrew questioned as he walked closer to him.

"I will admit to concocting the idea."

"You're crimes include the starting of a block war, the attempted murder of four Judges, the murder of civilian life, and willful destruction of public property, The sentence is death, how do you plead?" Andrew asked as he stood a foot from him, aiming his Lawgiver right in the center of the man's forehead.

"Guilty. I would note that killing me wouldn't stop me."

"I'm pretty sure a bullet in your head won't exactly improve your situation." Andrew told him as he pulled the trigger and a bullet embedded itself into the man's skull.

Andrew pulled a chair up and sat down, it had been a hell of a first day. He was hoping he could call it in and they would pass him. Then he could go to the apartment that he would be getting as a servant to the city and go to sleep.

A painting that had been hanging behind the man's desk pulled up to reveal a small television. It turned on to reveal a picture of the man.

"Hello there young Judge. I would figure that you would probably shoot me before letting me explain that shooting me would be pointless. The thing that you have shot is nothing more than an android. I was never present at all in the block during the block war; instead I am far away planning my next masterstroke for this city. I hope you know that I have taken a very special interest in you Judge Grey. I will be in touch soon, best wishes until then."

Andrew stood up and pounded his fist into the desk, causing a rather large indention. He tried his radio again, it was now free and clear.

"Control this is Rookie Judge Grey. The perp was never at the scene. He had fled once the block war had started, request H-Wagon extraction."

"Affirmative Judge Grey. Sending H-Wagon for pick up." a woman at control chirped in his ear.

There was a sound of rustling and Andrew turned around, one of the spider things had gotten in. Before he could react it sunk a blade into his chest. Not now, he wouldn't fall now. Andrew grabbed the things head and snapped its neck with a dry crack. It fell over as Andrew began to fall to the floor. The room began to go dark as he saw three other Judges enter the room.

"Rookie!" one of them yelled, but they sounded like they were miles away.

He reached a hand out to one of them; it fell limply as he slipped into unconsciousness. Someone picked him up and started to carry him off, he awoke a few times here and there. Seeing a team of medics patching him up, Dredd arguing with some other Judges.

Andrew awoke again to see Dredd standing over him. He peered at the man through half open eyes.

"Rookie, your assessment is complete. Welcome, Judge Grey." Dredd told him stiffly before walking off.

Andrew smiled as he fell into unconsciousness again. Hoping he would wake up again soon, his one dream had been accomplished. Now it was time to live the dream he had been waiting for all of his life.


	6. Temperance

_Look what the world has come to  
So now it's time to say 'Fuck You!'  
If you care then they drug you  
And no one's there when they numb you  
Fill you with terror and crush you  
Pretend they care as they shove you  
So you look to me to find the truth  
And what I say is what you do  
But everyone you look up to  
Is really as fucked up as you  
Time is getting shorter  
With these enforced disorders  
And we get blamed and pushed around  
So who's the fucking villain now? _

The lyrics blare hard and heavy onto the crowd of young teenagers dancing, grinding, and head banging to the lyrics of the band screeching into the microphone. Fifty-nine rows back on the second level of the mega stadium stands Emily Kasey aged nineteen. She is enjoying the concert, taking shots of whiskey and consuming other alcohol that dulls her senses, unaware of the man in the trench coat watching her from afar.

Looking at her watch she notes it is time for her to begin the journey home if she wanted to get home before one in the morning. Taking one last shot of Ginger Bumpty, a special mix whose ingredients were kept secret and served only in Sector 13, before flipping the crowd off to be showered in praise from other drunken attendees.

Emily walks out of the stadium and barely manages to catch the eleven thirty bus. Paying the five credits needed to board she sits down in one of the front seats. Unaware of the man in the trench coat who had followed her from the concert who takes a seat three seats back from her. Watching her with a keen eye.

Nursing her head, that had started to hurt when she actually stopped partying, Emily begins to rub her temples. Looking up she noticed her stop and pulled the wire, which asked for a stop. A few seconds later the bus stopped and Emily got off of the bus. Wanting to take some mild painkillers and go to sleep.

The man in the trench coat stood up and followed her. Narrowly missing the gap that would allow him into the apartment. Once inside he took out a small black box with a square red button and pressed it, sliding it back into his pocket as he followed her to her apartment. She was so close, soon she would be picked up and he could go home to relax.

Emily stepped out of the elevator and felt for her keys in her pocket. Finding them she put her room key in the lock and was about to push the door open when someone slipped behind her and grabbed her. She let out a scream but was gagged by a rag that caused her to pass out in the man's arms.  
The man in the trench coat slung her over his shoulder and headed to the window at the end of the hall. He was almost out when he saw a neighbor step out, an elderly man in his eighties.

"Hey there! What do you thi…" the man began but was cut short by a bullet to the chest. A round provided by the pistol in the trench coat of the man abducting Emily.  
The man stepped out onto the fire escape, which was obsolete considering they were on the forty-fifth story, and waited for his ride. Soon an H-Wagon, stolen from the Judges, pulled up and the man in the trench coat jumped in and drove off scot-free.

It was early in the morning when Andrew was called to the Hall of Justice. His head still hurt from being blind-sided by a random protestor yesterday that he had to subdue. Walking through the doors and getting to the elevator he began to hum a little tune he had picked up two weeks ago while watching a perp.

Stepping into the elevator he pressed the button to the sixth floor where the meeting room was. Andrew despised meetings, half the time they were for "serious" crimes that were boring but only got the shove they did because there was very rich people who could push anyway they wanted. The sixth floor came and he pulled his helmet off, knowing that he was in no danger here. A sheen of sweat covered his brow and dampened his short blonde hair, it was a scorching day outside, ninety eight degrees and rising.

Andrew opened the door to the meeting room to see a handful of Judges there, odd. All of them had been on the force for more than five years and the only ones that hadn't were him and Judge Summers who was sitting to the left of Dredd. Summer's had been in Andrew's class and had been one of the thirty percent who survived to day two or passed the exam, the two had chatted since then. Asking how the other was enjoying the job, usually she would respond with fine and he would return her question with something similar.

He took a seat at an empty chair to the right of Dredd and looked at him.

"Dredd." Andrew said.

"Rookie." Dredd replied.

Andrew turned to look at Chief Judge Hershey who walked in. Andrew was really getting surprised, first an elite Judge meeting that he had been invited to, now the Chief Judge herself was coming in and leading the meeting? What was next?

"Greetings everyone." Hershey said as she cleared her throat and tapped her fingers on a podium at the front. A screen unfurled behind her and security camera footage played behind her. "As of eleven ten last night Emily Kasey was kidnapped by this man, who at this point is unknown." she stopped long enough to pull up an enhanced screenshot of a man in a trench coat abducting the girl.

Andrew squinted his eyes and looked at the person, he knew who he was. His mouth dropped and his skin paled a little bit.

"Drokk!" he yelled out, the famous swear justified in this case.

"Judge Grey do you have something to share with us?" Hershey asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know who that man is, or not his name but I know what he does." Andrew said, looking down at the floor when a whole room of Judges started staring at him.

"Oh, and who is this?"

"He works for one of the biggest pimps in the Pleasure District, Kaiser Culverton."

There is a series of moans and groans throughout the room. Even if the trench coat man was an unknown, Kaiser Culverton was the opposite. He was, infamously, known as the most brutal drug lord and pimp to exist in Mega City One history. The man was so terrifying the Judges had never even attempted to go after them after he skinned an entire class of recruits, hanging their skinless carcasses from the statues and entrance of the academy, because a couple of Judges had taken down one of his brothels.

"Yo, hang on one moment," Judge Stallion, a veteran Judge of ten years, said in a thick Philly accent while standing up. "How is it that a Judge like youse know more about this punk than us?"  
The Judges in the room went from having a slightly scared attitude to one of uncaring. Judge Stallion was known as the second biggest idiot Judge in current service, the first was the one who had allowed him to pass. The man botched undercover operations that had been going on for years, had a record of shooting first and assessing second, and had, on more than one occasion, made the Judges look like jokes to the mass public.

"I mean figger this, some wannabe Judge finds the way into Kaiser Culvie's giant operation? I mean the rest of us been pounding the paymint for months, hopin' we win the lottree and we come up with nuttin. I don't mean to be newsey, but I haffta to say how could smuck face rookie find sumthin none of us could? That's mighty suspicious." Judge Stallion finished his complete butchery of the human language, sitting back down in his chair with a smug look.

Andrew was furious, and confused and appalled at the man's complete lack of grammar even for a Philadelphia Judge, his knuckles gripped the table turning white. Repressing the urge to pull his Lawgiver out and shoot a Hi-Ex bullet at this terrible example of a Judge. He was glad when the Chief Judge silenced him.

"Despite Judge Stallion's rather nitpicky approach, that is a legitimate question. How is it that you know this man? He has appeared on none of our hotlists." Hershey asked.  
Andrew cleared his throat; he had to be very careful right now. If he was unclear or messed up his answer then everything would come crashing down right on top of his head, even if he had just encountered the perp earlier this morning.

"Earlier this morning I found him attempting to smuggle out a young woman about seventeen years old." Andrew cleared his throat as he addressed the room. "I confronted the criminal and that led to a small fight that ended up with him escaping after pushing the civilian into oncoming traffic. Before he left I managed to catch a glimpse of a tattoo on his left wrist symbolizing membership of Culverton's gang. I was about to call it in when the call came for me to attend this meeting, if it had not been addressed I was going to bring it up then."

Judge Stallion bolted out his chair and pointed his finger accusingly at Andrew. "Ah ha! I knew it! It didn't expect to be gettin a confession outta youse aready. I skeeve people like youse, you sicken me." he said while spitting at Andrew and drawing his Lawgiver. "For fraternizing with the enemy, betraying the city, and being a piece of trash the sentence is death!"  
Seeing Stallion's finger begin to pull back on the trigger Andrew rolled to the right as Stallion shot a handful of rounds at him before the two Judges sitting next to him managed to subdue him.

"Drokk!" he yelled.

"Judge Stallion that was unnecessary judging, Judge Grey is no more a traitor than you or I are." Hershey chastised as Stallion was shoved back into his seat. "Besides that's not why we are here," Hershey continued as she cleared her throat. "The girl being kidnapped is why I have called you all here. Her name is Emily Kasey. Her parents supply the Justice Department with a rather large amount of money each year with no strings attached. However if Emily is indeed kidnapped by Kaiser Culverton, than any seasoned Judge sent in will be spotted and the girl will be killed. All senior Judges are now under orders to only patrol the perimeter of Culverton's territory."  
Andrew began to sweat, he wasn't very positive as to where this was going.

"A ransom letter was sent to the parents, a rather odd maneuver on Culverton's part. The ransom was simple; send two Judges in with a year or less experience out on the streets. Then attempt to arrest him. This is why I have called Judge Summers and Judge Grey here today, if you two would stand please."

Andrew was sweating like it was one hundred degrees in the room. He knew exactly what they were about to ask him to do.

"You two are the representation of the best and brightest of our under year Judges. What we ask you to do is nearly impossible, but your city and your colleagues need your help. Will you help us?" Hershey asked.

Andrew swallowed and stood straight; this was his time to shine. Even if he had the urge to puke all over the floor and then find a corner to cry in until he died of shame.

"It would be my honor ma'am." Andrew replied as he looked over at Judge Summers.

"Sign me up." she replied.

********  
Andrew was puking in the bathroom, not from any virus but from sheer nerves of what he was about to do. He was insane enough to go and take on a man who killed an entire class of recruits for no other reason than he could. Wiping his mouth and coughing once more he went over and washed his mouth out, trying to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth.

Judge Chivies had been upgraded from Academy Armory Master to Hall of Justice Armory Master. While Andrew had been down there refilling his armor and polishing off his Lawgiver Chivies had filled him in with all the stories that he had never ever wanted to here, and now he was vomiting in the bathroom.

"Nerves?" he heard Summer's voice drift from the door.

Andrew looked up to see her standing there. She had her helmet off so he could see her pale blue eyes and brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her soft features were contorted into a mashed up facial expression of concern and tough.

"Hey June." Andrew mumbled as he smirked at her face, despite June's soft features she was tougher than most of recruits and Judges on the streets. Holding out in torture training for three days straight. When she would attempt to be sincere or comforting she always came off looking mildly confused, something that other male Judges had described as, oddly attractive.

"So do I need to repeat Judge Jorge's ancient words of wisdom?" June asked as she walked over and patted, or more hit, him on the back.

"Nut up or shut up?"

"Yep. So nut up or shut up."

"I don't think you understand what we are about to do, we are taking on a man who skinned children to get his point across. The teacher Judges were so scared of him that's all they would ever tell us because we were still students there when it happened." Andrew tried to explain their doomed situation.

"I remember you had to fight your way up a whole block on your first day right?" June asked as she put her helmet down on the edge of the sinks.

"Yeah, why?"

"My first day my senior Judge was killed and I was stuck under the concrete earth of this Mega City for a week. You know of it right? The freaking city that was made from the craved out underbelly of a city that was once here? I saw shit down there I could never ever forget. I don't care if this guy skinned children, what I've seen is much worse. So like I said," she paused as she pulled her helmet on. "Nut up or shut up."

June left and Andrew smirked, June had the ability to berate you enough so that you had to prove her wrong. Half the time without actually insulting anyone. Andrew grabbed his helmet and put it on, following June to the bike bay.

Andrew scrawled through the racks and racks of Lawmasters until he found his. Rolling it off the rack he mounted it and fired the engine off.

"Computer," Andrew began as he cracked his neck. "Input coordinates for the Pleasure District. Things are about to get, interesting."

"Affirmative." the A.I chipped as it pulled up the GPS.

Speeding off towards the entrance he meet up with June and the two headed to the Pleasure District. The law was coming.


	7. The Devil

Andrew was uncomfortable in civilian clothing. Even if he had his Lawgiver hidden in his leather vest it still felt wrong not having a layer of bulletproof life insurance wrapped around his chest. He was wearing a v-neck plain white t-shirt, splattered with blood and other stains, cut up jeans, ankle high leather army boots, a spiked collar and cuffs and a gold chain necklace that had the word fly on it. Looking at himself in the mirror he shook his head in disgust.  
The tapping of high heels made Andrew turn around, June was done getting dressed. His jaw dropped in shock. He had not been expecting June to be dressed so, provocatively.

June had a short miniskirt that would show the world her skimpy G-string thong if she bent over. Her cleavage was in clear sight with the low cut crimson tank top. She embellished her sex appeal with five-inch heels that showed off her toned and cut legs perfectly. Andrew stammered a bit.

"What? Too ridiculous?" June asked as she put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking unexpected. I know we're going undercover for intel, but still. " Andrew told her as he walked to the door of the "apartment" they were sharing for the duration of the operation, it was more of a drop off zone for weapons, ammo, and the like. Even if they had an open invitation to bring down a notorious drug lord/pimp it wasn't like he was just going to let them walk in and bring down his work.

"You look like a biker I gave five years for double parking last week." June told him as they left "their" apartment after June grabbed her purse.

The two walked to the elevator at the end of the hall. Andrew was wondering where June was hiding her Lawgiver; it probably must have been in her purse. Because if it wasn't then June really had to get creative on where she would stash it, and some places would be very uncomfortable.

Once they arrived at the elevator Andrew paused for a moment, after the vertigo elevator he always instinctively reached for his belt except when he was in the Hall of Justice. June gave him a raised eyebrow that he ignored as he reached over and hit the down button. A few minutes later the carriage reached their floor and Andrew slowly stepped in and pressed the first floor button. The elevator began to smoothly go down.

"When we get out put your arm around me." June told him.  
"What?" Andrew asked shocked at the request.

"We're undercover as a couple, remember? We had an argument for twenty minutes over what we were going as."

Andrew grimaced as the memory played its way back into his head. The argument had been about the times they were undercover what roles they would be playing, one was that Andrew would be a pimp and June his "employee" which was suggested by her oddly enough. Other suggestions had been made but Andrew was trying to repress those already.

"Right." Andrew told her as the doors opened and his arm draped over her shoulders, which tensed up.

"Calm down, we have to play this right. Nut up or shut up remember?" Andrew told her in a revenge chastise.

"Shut the hell up."

Andrew smirked as the doors opened up to the parking garage. June took her heels off and the two began to walk the four flights of stairs where Andrew's motorcycle was.

"I thought you were good in heels?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, on flat surfaces. When it comes to stairs every woman is nearly helpless."

"Why do you people wear and obsess over those things when all they do is bring you pain?"

"Because they make my legs look fucking fantastic."

Andrew shrugged as he walked over to the motorcycle, provided by Bumpo's motorcycles*, and mounted it. He waited until he felt June get on behind him and wrap her arms around his chest. Grabbing the aviator sunglasses out of his vest pocket and throwing them on his face.

"This still feels weird." Andrew told June as he turned the motorcycle and revved it.

"Shut up and ride." June told him in mild irritation.

Andrew gunned the engine and began to drive off. Pulling onto the giant mega streets of the city and narrowly dodging a giant mobile house unit. Mega City One was filled with so many people there was not enough housing to hold them all, so many simply lived in giant R.V like units, some were junk and others were nicely furnished and comfortable to live in.

"I hate not having my uniform on. The traffic moved for me." June mumbled a bit as Andrew shot off towards the club Kaiser was seen at every night, The Maverick.

"It was useful, so when we get there do I need to slap you and call you my ho?" Andrew asked with a slight amount of mischief in his voice.

"If you deem it necessary." June replied through gritted teeth. "Oh look, the club."

Andrew smirked as he pulled into the giant parking garage right next to the club. He had difficulty finding a parking spot until he reached the fourteenth floor of the complex. Once there he tied his bike up, the public transportation was suspicious at best around these parts, and then patted his jacket to make sure his Lawgiver still sat in his pocket.

The two walked to the elevator, which took them down to the club; from the name one could guess that it was a local sports club. When the elevator arrived Andrew, did the pause that would plague him for the rest of his life, walked into the carriage and let it take him down to the entrance to the club.

Andrew swallowed and began to sweat a little as he saw the people outside the club. Druggie's lined the side of the building, forming a meat wall in case the club was invaded, women dressed in clothing so skimpy it made June look conservative. A large bouncer stood in front of the club's front doors, letting some in and punching others in the face. Even though Andrew could have taken the bouncer he was still nervous, he didn't need to draw attention to himself.

The two stood in line and waited. It wasn't a very long line and it was moving quickly because of the bouncer's unorthodox tactics. After the next three people in line were punched in the face and thrown over to the side it was Andrew and June's turn to receive judgment.

The bouncer has muscles the size of bowling balls, a nonexistent neck, a baldhead someone could have used it as a mirror, basically everyone's stereotypical view of club bouncers. His thin eyebrows rose as he pulled up a list of people on a holo board.  
"Name?" he asked in a deep rumbling voice.

"Matthew Red and Jane Winters." Andrew said as he perfectly mimicked a lower class pleasure district citizen, an accent that sounded slightly different from his natural voice but not enough it wouldn't be easy to pull off.

"Looks like someone is going all the way to the top. Head on in." he told the two as he lowered the barrier to the club.

Andrew nodded and walked in, surprised at the fact that they had gotten in so easily. Once inside Andrew could really see the club.  
Lights bounced off walls, flashing and probing, it was an epileptic's nightmare. Strippers were aplenty in this place of booze and sex, grinding against polls or each other. People run around in a drunken frenzy attempting to start a fight with other bar members. In the corners there were people using various types of drugs, some snorted a line of white powder off another girl's body. Others used a bong or needles to achieve the high they craved. The patrons of this bar creating a climate that could be representative of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Andrew and June walked through the club, a man with a spiked Mohawk and golden teeth looked up with a toothy grin.  
"Nice chicken man, you up to peach her?" he asked.

"Wasn't talking to you, get back to your lichen powder." Andrew said slowly. The man turned back and sniffed up some red powder on the table.

"What did he mean by peach the chicken?" June yelled, trying to be heard over the loud bass of the music.

Andrew rolled his eyes, at the academy he had told June to take the course over slang, so naturally she refused.

"Sex, that's about all you want to know." Andrew replied as he managed to push through the crowd to the elevator guarded by two more bouncers, somehow bigger than the one up front.  
Once he reached them he told them their, fake, names. After one of the bouncers called up they were free to go up to the VIP longue. Walking towards the elevator he pushed the button and the doors opened. Stepping in he noticed something odd, there were no buttons.

The elevator jerked up suddenly, June was thrown off her feet and she grabbed onto Andrew who caught her without a moment's notice. Looking down at the girl in his arms he helped her up and the two separated. After another awkward five minutes the elevator doors opened to show them their destination.

Stepping out to reveal a room more horrifying beyond belief and he had fought down some pretty terrible things in his short time as a Judge. It was a long hallway full of rooms similar to a mental asylum. Plexiglas windows revealed some of the most terrifying torture and mutilations ever been concocted in human history. The first one Andrew saw had a woman encased fully in a metal suit, the head was shaped like a horse head and there was a tail that had been nailed into her skin. The next room had a woman blindly stumbling around; a thick piece of rubber had been sewed over her eyes. Another woman had no hands or feet, they had been sawn off. Every room had a new horror that Andrew had a tough time not puking in disgust, holding himself back from hitting the button on his necklace that would bring a brigade of Judges flying in.

Andrew and June shuffled quickly to the door at the end of the long hallway. Opening the door to reveal the enemy they had sworn to bring down, Kaiser Culverton.

Looking at the man he was nothing like Andrew was expecting. Alone by himself he sat on a throne of human bones. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties instead of being in his fifties, considering his thirty year long career thus far. Culverton was dressed in an elegant grab not seen commonly amongst the pimps and drug lords of the Pleasure District. His attire consisted of white magician gloves, each finger having a different ring on his hand, a black suit with a white shirt and a black and red checkered vest, finishing it off with a top hat and a cane, which he tapped in rhythm as they approached.

"Hello Judges Grey and Summers." he greeted them in a low voice. "Is this the best the Hall of Justice has available?"  
Andrew was shocked; he had been invited to negotiate a "business" deal that was going to get him in league with the man so he could bring him down. It had been a set up and he hadn't even considered this possibility.

"How do you know who we are?" June asked as she ripped the high heels off of her feet and threw them at him. They bounced harmlessly off an invisible wall separating them from him.

"Simple. So simple I'm not going to tell you." he said in his low whisper of a voice. "All I know is if you want the next three blocks to survive you're going to do what I ask."

Andrew's hand moved up to cover his necklace and to scratch his neck.

"I wouldn't press that button; any emergency signals that go out will trigger the explosives."

Pulling his hand down in disgust Andrew snarled at Culverton. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I'm going to believe Judge Summers is your 'chicken'. I want you to peach the chicken." Culverton explained.

Andrew felt his stomach drop to the center of the earth. In order for them and the next three blocks to survive he would have to screw Judge Summers. He looked over with an expression of rage and sorrow. Knowing the man wouldn't bluff he walked over to June, attempting to look tough, her eyes scream no.

"I'm sorry." Andrew whispered into her ear.

Culverton stood up and began to leave. Andrew was furious, he was going to make them degrade each other and he wasn't even going to make them watch?

"I take my leave, the explosives deactivate in one hour. If you stop the love making then I trigger them. The doors will open when you can take your leave. Have fun, I know that you two have been so eager for this to happen." Culverton told them as he disappeared out a side door.

"Shit, I'm so sorry." he whispered as he closed his eyes and unzipped his pants.

*******

An hour and many tears and other fluids later Andrew and June drove out onto the streets of Mega City One, in shame Andrew hadn't looked at June since the incident. They drove off and headed back to the apartment. The only thing they had agreed on was calling Judges to bring down the club and free all those trapped inside.

The two went into the apartment, Andrew changed into his gear while June went into the shower. He could hear her crying, something he had only heard once after her Hot Dog Run. It was the most heart wrenching sound in the world. Someone as tough as her breaking and crying at something he did.

An hour or so later she was ready to go and dressed herself in her gear. Leaving the apartment they went to the garage's hidden level and mounted their Lawmasters. Engines roaring as they flew onto the street and shot off towards the Maverick. H-Wagons and other Judges converged on the club like a pack of wolves on a wounded deer. What happened next would haunt survivors for years to come.

The Maverick exploded, triggering a chain reaction of the Mega Blocks within a mile radius of the clubs. Giant building collapsing and falling on each other in a torrent of foundation and metal, squealing as supports were crushed and snapped under the tons of weight. Explosions going off every second, as a roar of fire and shrapnel shot out in the unaffected parts of the city. Screams of terror suddenly cut off or amplified by unknown means.

"No." was all that Andrew could slip out as stream of light slipped out from the ruins and exploded in the sky, writing the words, _is that all you have? _Andrew pulled over and so did June. Looking in her eyes he gritted his teeth and looked back up. "We're bringing him down. I don't care what I have to do, that man is dead."


	8. The Hanged Man

Driving by the wreckage of the massive bombing attack firemen and other volunteers still tried to rescue victims that were trapped beneath the rubble. Andrew looked over at June who was focused on driving her Lawmaster. Even after the events that had happened a few days back the two had managed to come to some sort of reconciliation about the event. Choosing to try and ignore it and move forward.

June took a right and headed down deeper into the Pleasure District while Andrew took a left and headed towards the hospital for Judges. He wanted to check up on Yvaine as he hadn't had a chance to see her since she was stabbed through the stomach and inches from her heart. June would head into the Pleasure District and try to find any sort of information over Culverton's operations. The two would meet up later and stakeout the area.

His Lawmaster weaved in and out of traffic, riding his Lawmaster was one of the few pleasures he had. He enjoyed the feel of the wind flowing over his face, the thrill when he gunned the engine causing him to shoot off at high speeds. Weaving in and out of traffic as he turned onto the correct highway to take him nearer to the Hall of Justice, where the hospital was located a few blocks away.

Soon he pulled up to the hospital; he found a place to park in the extremely crowded parking lot and went inside. The aroma of ammonia and bleach assaulted his nostrils, two smells he could never stand. Strolling up to the front desk to see the Iron Judge, an elderly Judge that would have made Margaret Thatcher quake in fear from her presence alone.

She was about seventy years old, although this was hard to tell as she looked like she was still in her fifties. With grey hair pulled back into a tight bun that would forbid any stray hair to slip out from it. Her eyes misled everyone; they were kind and gentle light blue eyes. The type someone's grandmother who baked him or her cookies would have. Not the kind a hardcore Judge had. Even if she was nicknamed Judge Iron she almost at times acted like a grandmother, Andrew remembered she was Judge Nurse back when he was at the Academy, he had seen her a lot because of the nature of his training, he believed she had liked him but he could never be sure.

Walking up to her, he looked at her typing away on a computer. Filing papers no doubt, this woman had once taken on a group of twenty block maniacs and killed every last one with nothing but her bare hands, making it odd to see her reduced to a desk job such as this.

"Excuse me Judge Shiva?" he asked while addressing her as he would with any Judge.

She stopped typing for a moment and looked up at him. "I haven't been called that in years, it seems to be required to call me Judge Iron now. The last person to properly call me that was a young recruit with a scar, that so far, looks much like yours." she said as her mind drifted off to the past.

"My name is Judge Grey. I was a recruit back when you were a Judge Nurse there." he told her as he pulled his helmet off to reveal his inch long blonde hair and his half scowled face.

"I remember you, good to see you became a full eagled Judge, are you here to see someone?" she asked as she pulled up a list of patients and their room numbers.

"Judge Yvaine," Andrew began until he realized he never actually learned her last name. Remembering that she had never told him before.

"Room 257." Judge Iron told him. Andrew thanked her and walked to the elevator. Once inside he pressed the button for the second floor. When elevator lurched upwards he regretted not taking the stairs.

When the elevator dinged a few seconds later he walked out trying not to pass out. People looked at him with that look that said, "are you okay? Not that it matters because you're probably going to say yes and then I will stop caring." Waving at them Andrew knocked on the door to room 257 and opened the door.

Yvaine had been in bad shape after the spider thing had plunged a spike the size of Andrew's hand into her stomach. She had somehow managed to survive on sheer force of will alone. Then to make matters worse a rocket launcher had taken the H-Wagon they had been evaced on out and it had crashed and broken both of her legs and arms. The sheer fact that she was alive was a miracle in itself.

"Hey good lookin." Yvaine's voice drifted over to him as he entered the room. She was hanging from a bar attached the ceiling doing pull-ups as some form of physical therapy.

"How do you do it? First you break all the bones in your arms and legs to the point where modern medicine can't actually do anything more than just put them back together and hope to Grud they heal, and a month later here you're acting like nothing happened?" Andrew joked as he put his helmet down on a small table in the corner.

Yvaine smirked and dropped from the bar, he could tell it had taken a lot out of her, a thick layer of sweat matted her hair and had turned her light grey tank top dark from all the sweat. She looked tired, so far she had spent more time benched in the hospital then she had on the streets. Walking over she sat down on her bed and then looked up at him with a small smile on her lips.

"Sit for awhile, don't be a stranger." she told him while patting the bed next to him.

Andrew shook his head as he walked over and stood in front of her. "I don't have much time, I need to get back to Judge Summers and get back on a case I'm working. I stopped by to give you this though," he paused as he dug through his belt and pulled out a small rectangular box.

He handed it to Yvaine who tore it open with feverish intent. It revealed itself to be a rather thick, jagged bladed knife with a black and silver handle. She looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well, I know that you were never a fan of the standard issue knifes we get. Plus you mentioned to me you like it large." Andrew said with his standard half smile.

Yvaine laughed, she looked relaxed for the first time in a long time. "I think I've finally gotten to you Andrew Grey." she told him with a big smile.

Grabbing a roll of tape on the small table next to her and swinging her foot up onto her bed she pulled the sweat pants leg up to reveal a knife taped to her leg. Pulling that one out she replaced it with the new one, taping any loose parts down enough so she wouldn't cut her leg up. Andrew walked over to the table he had set his helmet down and put it back on.

"I got to go. See you soon," he told her as he began to walk towards the door.

"Andrew," Yvaine called to him as he turned away from her. "I heard what happened with June. Just remember it's not your fault."

"See you later Yvaine." he repeated darkly as he walked out of the room and left the hospital.

As Andrew exited the building and walked over to his Lawmaster, as he revved his engine his helmet beeped. A transmission from Control was beaming in, he pressed his comm button and answered the call.

"Control this is Judge Grey, what is your concern?" he asked dryly.

"Judge Grey, Judge Summers has been abducted by enemy forces. Please report to the following coordinates being sent to your Lawmaster." the lady on the other end of the line told him emotionlessly. Andrew shot out of the garage and began to build up as much speed as he could so he could reach the destination as fast as he could.

"Not this time Culverton." he growled as he raced to the Pleasure District as fast as he could.

*****  
June separated from Andrew and rode deeper into the Pleasure District. With Andrew gone she could just think. Her mind had wandered back to the night where Culverton had made Andrew unintentionally rape her. He had been as gentle and kind as he could, keeping her clothed and trying to even give her a climax to make it ever so sweeter. But the event was imprinted on her brain. From entrance to exit, the breaking of her hymen, the feeling similar to a broomstick handle with nails being shoved inside her.

She had managed somehow to be calm and cool while the act was taking place, but when she went back to the apartment she sealed herself in the bathroom and cried in the shower. Crying like a newborn right after birth. An act she had only done twice in her life, once when she had been found outside the walls of the Mega City, and the other after her whole group had been killed in front of her during her Hot Dog Run and she spent a week surviving the Cursed Earth by herself.

Gunning her engine she shot in-between two giant mobile homes and moved over into the lane that let her exit the mega highway and head back into the slums of the Pleasure District. This part of the city always disgusted her, even when she was in the academy and just had to look at pictures.

The first slum block had been firebombed, all fifty stories. A total of seventy-five thousand civilian deaths in the course of twenty minutes. Riding deeper she saw whores standing out on the streets, it wasn't called the pleasure district for gourmet chocolates and rainbows. When she had to stop for a moment a pimp with three rings on each hand and a multitude of good piercings covering his face walked over.

"Why hello there good Judge, my name is Georgio Vindetti. By chance have you stopped by to take a look at my fine merchandise?" he asked her in that slick, greasy voice that every used car salesmen had.

June kept her breathing even; she might be able to find out some information. "I'm very picky. Who's your supplier?" she asked coldly, as if conducting a business deal.

"Why, the good lord Xiao Mei."

June quickly ran through her mental list of Culverton's semi known gang. Xiao Mei was his Lieutenant of the west part of the Pleasure District. He would be rather helpful in bringing down the bastard. She couldn't ardent Georgio on being a pimp alone, due to the ninety percent unemployment rate; jobs weren't exactly crawling out of the woodworking.

"Show me what you got." June said, weary of her surroundings. Nobody was stupid enough to just show her evidence so they could get arrested. Then again the only Judges typically seen around these parts were either paid off or looking to satisfy some itch they acquired from the stress of their job.

Pulling her kickstand out with her foot, she leaned the Lawmaster on the side of the curb. No one would steal it; her bike was calibrated to respond to her DNA alone. Walking behind Georgio they entered the club.

The club sickened June, the smell of blood, sweat, and sex stung the inside of her nostrils worse than when they trained to build up a tolerance of Stumm gas. She could hear the sound of whips cracking, liquid hitting the ground following a loud moan, someone crying out in pain following a loud slap. She was glad she still had her helmet on, the disgusted look in her eyes would have given her away in a heartbeat.

Georgio took her to a small room in the back. Letting her sit down on a greasy looking couch, no doubt from the accumulated fluids of the past. Uncomfortably she did so and waited for him to come back. Looking around the room made her more uncomfortable than the couch had.

Various sexual toys were placed on shelves on the wall, sitting next to chains, whips, gags, straps, cages, and other things that made her shudder a bit. Georgio left and came back with a male prostitute. He was skinny and looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. The man got onto his knees and crawled over to June. He began to lick her boots; she tried to keep a tight face.

"May I please you mistress?" he begged, the look in his eyes screamed out for help. Even with this she didn't have solid enough evidence.  
"No, this is not my idea of a good time." she told him, the words coming out robotically.

The man whimpered and crawled out of the room. Georgio ignored him and clapped his hands. This time two women came in, they were young and healthy looking. Clad in a skimpy bra and G-string that revealed everything June would need to know. Still not enough to bring this bastard down, she would have to make a choice soon.

"Not these either." she said calmly and the two girls went away.

Georgio looked stumped, until he snapped his fingers and then left the room for a moment. When he came back June had enough to book him for life, but he wouldn't make it to an Iso-Block alive. Georgio walked in with a little girl of about five in tote.

"Perhaps a younger crowd appeals to you?" he asked with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"No, not at all." June told him as she stood up and walked over to him and shoved him against the wall.

"I don't normally get involved with my clients but I might make an exception for someone like you." he purred, unaware of what June really had on her mind.

"Georgio Vindetti, your crimes include human trafficking, child abuse, and unconsensual sexual intercourse. The sentence is twenty-five years in the Iso-Blocks, how do you plead?" June growled as she pulled her Lawgiver out of her holster and put it to his neck.

"Go to hell bitch." he spat.

"Figures." June replied as she turned him around and slapped a pair of handcuffs onto him.

June pressed the button for her comm link, "Control this is Judge Summers," she began. "I need a wagon and some backup, I just broke up a human trafficking headquarters and the leader of this portion is Georgio Vindetti. I need him evaced and sent back to the Hall of Justice for questioning. Also I have picked up a young girl who appears to be of Judge placement age, I need a representative from the Academy as well."

"Roger Judge Summers, ETA five minutes."

"Over and out."

June looked over at Georgio, what a piece of scum. So terrible she couldn't even look at the man he made her physically ill. She left him handcuffed in the corner and walked over to the small girl who had run into the corner, crying as she tried to hide from the Judge.

"Hey now," June cooed as she put her hands out to pick her up. "I'm here to help you sweetie." June picked the small girl up, her nose was running and her brown eyes were all red and puffy.

"Are you my mommy?" she asked, sending a twinge of sorrow through June. "My mommy was a Judge before she was kidnapped by the bad men."

June furrowed her brow; there had been a string of random Judge disappearances a few years ago. Maybe she could provide some sort of information on the illusive subject.

"No, I'm not your mommy. But we're going to get you cleaned up and we'll get you a nice place to live alright?" she asked as she set her down on a coffee table, there was no way she was going to make her sit on that couch. Sighing as she heard the heavy grind of the wagon's engines and the purr of the Lawmaster's. She picked the child up and her tan arms wrapped around her neck. Then she walked over and grabbed Georgio by the scruff of his fat neck after holstering her Lawgiver.

June walked outside to see the Judges who had been sent down. At the forefront giving orders was Dredd, odd that Control sent him for such a low level job. She spied three others, Judges Eggleston, Remendiez, and Clive. Eggleston had been a Judge for the last four years, generally liked amongst the other Judges and the population at large. Remendiez was old, old enough he should have taken the Long Walk already but didn't, he helped teach at the Academy. June remembered him teaching Ethics 101. Clive was an asshole in her graduating class; she was amazed that he had even passed his final test. Obnoxious and rude, the big thuggishly built Judge knocked a civilian over and stormed over to her. She wasn't quite sure why he was in a foul mood already.

"Hey there Summers." Clive said in that toothy grin that made everyone want to punch him in the face, he stopped in front of her, standing a foot and a half over her. "Heard you were here, so I thought I would come down and see how bad things were fucked up already."

June was emotionless, wishing she could pull her helmet off to give him her death glare. Instead she would have to settle for verbal taunts.

"Yeah, cause I'm the one that lost in capture the flag because he was pigging out on contraband donuts." June retorted as she walked over the Remendiez and Dredd.  
"DAMN STRAIGHT YOU WERE!" Clive yelled as he walked into the whore house.

"Excellent work Summers, remind me to ask the Council to invite you to speak at the Academy one of these days." Remendiez said as she took the child out of her hands. June nodded and took her helmet off, it had been rather hot out later and she would appreciate the breeze on her forehead. When the wind blew on her forehead, it was greatly appreciated. Dredd turned to look at her.

"Good find." he told her as he turned and ran into the whore house with Eggleston.

June smiled, she had done good for a change. She was about to give herself a small victory whoop when all of a sudden her hair was being yanked, causing her to give a sharp yelp, and she was pulled off the street.

June was yanked into the back of a truck and it shot off before anyone could do anything. She lashed out, trying to hit someone so she could try to get a handle on the situation by at least getting one of them off guard. Instead she missed and hands pushed, groped, and squeezed her. A blindfold was thrown over her eyes and then was a sharp pain on the top of her head. Then she couldn't feel or hear anything as she went limp and her mind became dazed and disoriented long enough for a rag to slip over her face.


	9. The Devil (II)

A flash of bright light, the fell of cold metal holding her wrists, ankles, and chest down to a cold metal surface, nearby distorted voices. The random sensations great her as she awakens from her forced sleep. June tries to close her mouth but finds she cannot, a bundle of cloth prevents her from doing so. She tries to move against her bonds, seeing how loose they are, her Judge training beginning to kick in even amidst the pangs of pain and clouded mind. A cool breeze over her bare skin told her how much clothing he had left her with.

"Stop struggling, you can't get out." a familiar voice drifts over to her.

June's head rolls lazily over to the direction the voice came from. Much to her, not, surprise it was Culverton. He walked over to her with a limp in his right leg that she had not noticed before and stood next to the metal table. His eyes traveled up and down her body, looking at her like she was a piece of meat. A clammy, pasty white hand reached out and traveled over her stomach.

"You have the most beautiful body, it's so perfect." he told her in a tone that suggested wonder, as if he had never touched another woman before. Something June was sure that he had done before.

"Get your hands offa me." June slurred.

"I can't, it is so beautiful. You know I traffic women who are beautiful, but none as beautiful as you are. Do you know how many times I have been up until the late hours of the morning look at that tape of you and that other idiot Judge fucking? Pretending it was me instead of him?"

"You're a crime boss and you have fetish for random female Judge?"

"Yes, shocking I know. But in the end that is what I feel. To the point where I must immortalize you forever." he whispered as he pulled over a small table with various needles.

"No torture? You're just going to kill me?"

"The process to perfection is one of hellish consequences and broken pasts. The pain of transformation will be torture enough," he told her as he picked a syringe with a six-inch needle up. Flicking it to get the air bubbles out as he looked down and stroked her skin again, June felt her skin cells die from contact with his grimy fingers.

"What happened to Emily Kasey?" June asked, not sure why, maybe to get closure before whatever was in this serum affected her in whatever way it would.

"Oh, the brat from the ammo supplies parents? She's on the cyber grid, but once I finish giving you all five shots that will make you mine forever and ever and ever you won't be thinking of her too much. Or turn you inside out to revel in eternal pain until the next Big Bang." he told her while pointing to a cage in a corner. Revealing what he said to be true, a woman's skeleton held fleshy lumps of tissue and organs in place while she cried and spoke in an inaudible tongue.

There was an hail of bullets from outside the room; June knew the Judges had come. Culverton screamed in rage as he stabbed the syringe into her heart and pushed the plunger down. June didn't scream, instead she lurched forward. Her body turning pale and what felt like dry ice was shoved into her veins. Vomit exploded from her lips as Culverton ran from the room.

"If I can't have you now, I will at least make you perfect." he snarled as June began to buck and spasm. Never screaming, a look of permanent horror etched onto her face.

The door to the room exploded to reveal Andrew and a new Judge that June had never seen before. She took no real notice as she bucked and spasms more.

"June!" Andrew yells though he sounds like he is miles away. He rips open the bonds; how he does it she is not sure. "Hang in there. We'll get you out of here." he tries to comfort her as he picked her up.

"Drokk, what did they do to her?" the other Judge asked.

"I don't know Pete, we need a H-Wagon evac now." Andrew ordered as he held June in his arms, she wasn't able to sense this as she sank further and further into her head.

****  
**Earlier that day. **

Andrew came to the scene of the crime, Judges stood there taking pimps and whores out of the brothel. Running over to Dredd who stood there looking at the street, analyzing it for some unknown clue.

"Dredd!" he yelled as he ran over, Dredd held up a hand to silence him.

"Suspects drove up and grabbed Judge Summers when the rest of us were preoccupied with dealing with business in the whore house. From there, we have no clue as to where she went. The tracker in her left boot went off shortly after her abduction, she could be anywhere in the Pleasure District."

Andrew turned and punched a wall. His teeth gritted together, he should have been here, he should have been doing his job instead of visiting Yvaine.

"Rookie, your new task is to find Judge Summers. You will be assigned a new partner to help track her down. He will meet you on Hoffman and Eighth Street, the last place the tracker was working before it was shut off."

Andrew ran back to his Lawmaster and jumped onto the seat. Gunning the engine he shot off down the street, swerving in and out of traffic to get to his destination quicker.

After a few minutes he arrived at Hoffman and Eighth Street, there was another Judge there hooking his Lawmaster up to a camera pole. Andrew pulled over and stopped next to him.

"Are you my partner?" Andrew asked bluntly.

The Judge turned around and looked at Andrew.

"Judge Andrew Grey?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Judge Pete Smith."

Andrew was shocked at how plain the name was, compared to the last few Judges he had worked with. He shook his head and watched what Pete was doing for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"

Pete stopped for a moment before giving him a quick glance and then returning to the terminal on the side of his Lawmaster.

"Hacking the camera feeds, if we can get an idea of which way she went then it should make it easier to find her." Pete replied.

"Isn't that twelve years on Titan?"

"Nope. Not if used for the protection of the public. We are the law, but we can also bend it on the rare occasion rookie. Try to keep up."

"You look about as old as I am, how long have you been on the job?"

"In a week it will be my second full year. I've got experience rookie."

Andrew shook his head and stood back to let him handle the cameras. If he could do it then finding out where Culverton had taken June would be slightly easier. Even so it would still be trying to find a piece of Umpty candy in a mountain of normal candy.

"Got it. They went down that street." Pete said as he pointed down Seventh Street. Andrew wasted no time getting on his Lawmaster and racing off to the next camera point. They would have to check each camera point, but it was their only lead for now. It would have to do.

*****  
**Present time. **  
Culverton walked into his underground headquarters. The sprawling metropolis had been built in the area underneath the concrete when the old cities had been covered and built over. It had been easy to move in and chisel out the space he needed, the Judges didn't patrol down here. It was too expansive and they didn't have the manpower to do so. Causing them to ignore this part of the city until something went terribly wrong, even then he was deep within the bowels of the old city.

Passing through security, who dared not even look at him for more than a brief moment, with ease he approached his private quarters. Opening the door with his handprint he strode into the red and black colored room.

In the center of the room was a wooden table, embedded with black skulls and embellished with white finger bones. On top sat a basin of rose water. Culverton walked over and placed his hands over the water. He murmured words in a language not spoken in an eon and a half.

The water seemed to come to life, curling and wrapping around his hands. It whispered and crooned to him. Soon words were no longer spoken aloud, Culverton's mouth moved but no sound arose from it. There was no need.

The two talked like old friends who had not seen each other in many years, the water changing color to fit its mood. It would turn yellow when it was happy or dark red when it became angry. After two hours their talk concluded with the four words coming from the water that could be understood.

_"Fail us not Mephisto. _

Culverton nodded as he pulled his hands from the water. It changed from a royal blue back to the rose color it originally took. Sitting still and quite Culverton smiled as he exited his room and walked over to the communications sector. On his entrance the head of communications walked over to him.

"Did you need anything sir?" he asked.

"I want you to relay our exact location to the Judges. It has been so long since we have had company."

**Earlier that day/ **  
After two hours of checking cameras the two Judges managed to find the truck entering the lowest level of an abandoned parking block. The first three stories were structurally sound, but the rest had weak points that could cave in at any minute. There was no chance that the truck they drove with its level of handling could navigate through all the spots to a base located anywhere in the decaying building.

"Heat vision," Andrew said and his visor turned into a mirage of red, oranges, and blues.

"See anything?" Pete asked.

"Maybe," Andrew replied.

Andrew scanned over the area; he saw a thin line in the air that suggested exhaust was hanging there. He walked along, going deeper and deeper into the parking block, following the line to a wall where it disappeared. Pulling out his Lawgiver he aimed it at the wall, he would either bring fifty stories of concrete down on them or he would be greeted by a hail of gun fire. He hoped it was the latter.

"Be ready," Andrew warned Pete. "Hi-Ex."

Andrew shot the bullet into the wall, bits of mortar, brick, and concrete shot out in all directions. Following the explosion a grenade rolled out, Andrew panicked and kicked the grenade back into the hole in the wall, and it exploded three seconds after doing so.

Andrew rolled over to the right side of the wall and motioned for Pete to take the left. Raising his Lawgiver Andrew peeked around the corner. The coast was clear as evident by the three to six bodies that lay scattered around the opening.

"That was one hell of a grenade, what kind was that? Standard issue wouldn't rip that many apart." Pete asked.

"I don't know, I wouldn't be surprised if Culverton had an entire pile of personal Lawgivers. Just keep sharp, he might have a whole hallway booby trapped."

The two progressed forward, the safehouse looked like something out of Andrew's nightmares. Random parasitic tentacles covered in spikes came out of the wall. There were two members of Culverton's crew stripped naked and hung from the ceiling wrapped in razor wire, a mutilated corpse with face ripped away is raped nonsensically by the horns of a goat as it chewed on the cock of the unfortunate soul. Andrew puts a bullet through its head; any animal willing to do that did not need to live. The goat fell over with a guttural bleat. No words spoken as Andrew and Pete ran from the room into another room.

Pentagrams and the heads of goats lined the walls of the hallway, after everything he had seen there was no way that Culverton could have been human. This next room confirmed Andrew's worst fears about their mission.

In the center of the room hung Emily Kasey, her limbs had been ripped off leaving naught but bloody stumps. Teeth ripped out and mouth forced open with a ring gag. Two phallic shaped objects coated with razor wire had been shoved into her tender regions. Her eyes, at one point brown and alive, were grey and dead. She looked up at them and uttered something that sounded like "kill me". Andrew looked away and raised his Lawgiver before shooting a bullet between her eyes.

"Damn it. Her parents will be devastated." Pete said as he walked over to the body and closed her eyes.

"After the slaughter earlier this week I was hoping for one thing to go right. But we can't even get that anymore." Andrew replied as he shoved open another door.

The two walked through the house of horrors, trying not to vomit or lose their composure as they continued to see the sticky, demented nightmares that awaited them around every corner. The sound of June's voice drifted over to him. Andrew picked up on it and ran towards it._Hang on June, he thought. We're coming._


	10. The Moon

Through the cracks and crumbling mortar of the secret city of Kaiser Culverton something terrible began to happen. In between spindling hallways and curving staircases an evil awoke, one that had been consciously repressed deep within a foul and twisted man, unleashing itself upon the world. Culverton's skin began to peel like the skin of a fruit. Vermillion red skin with black fingertips and nails exposed itself as he began to rake and claw strips of flesh from his arms, rendering him in a garb of half human and half monster skin. Teeth elongate to the size of daggers and become sharper than razors blades. Red lips turn black and yellow; his irises become liquid gold that seems to swirl with every move of his eyes. A monster from hell emerged within him.

He walks out with a fluid grace not demonstrated by any normal human being at any point in the history of man; a grace that contrasts with his garish appearance. Green slime drips occasionally from his elongating mouth, which begins to turn into a snout, hitting the floor and sizzling as it begins to burn a small hole in the metal floor plating.

Explosions that rock the buildings foundation mash with harmonic symphonies of the last breathes and screams of the dead and dying. Culverton closes his eyes to listen to his greatest requiem, choruses of hotshot bullets colliding with flesh to crackle and spark, knells of artillery shells smashing into bodies to break bone and rip sinew.

"They'll remember, they'll remember why they were scared of me. As surely as I will maintain my presence by forcing them to remember, to be forgotten would be the utter death of me." Culverton cackles and moans in a voice that changes pitch, sounding like twenty people talking at once.

An unfortunate soldier walks up to the demon possessed Culverton, he begins to say something but Culverton impales him on his fingernails that had grown to the size of steak knives. The soldier dies and something similar to liquid silver begins to drip from his orifices.

"That's what I'm talking about." Culverton growls as the substance climbs up his body and into his mouth. With that his stance becomes more powerful, but only one person would be able to feed his hunger. "Andrew Grey, I will consume your very essence." he growls as he walks to the entrance of his base. Waiting for the feast to begin.

*****  
Andrew watched as the giant drilling tanks bore paths so the Judges' Lawmasters could trek through the crumbling and unkept ruins of the old city while lighting the way with giant lights attached to the sides and front of the drills. Night vision was needed but the lights made it harder to see at times, the drills kept drilling along.

Three hundred and thirty Judges were making this trip, each six or so made up a squad led by the senior Judges in the squad. Riding next to Andrew, and composing his squad, was Judges Yvaine, Smith, Dredd, Anderson, and Summers.

The Judges had launched this assault after Culverton had yelled to the whole city where he could be found and to come get him. Such a bold move for such a wanted man, it made Andrew furious that he had given up this easily. It seemed almost too obvious.

Andrew peeled off and rode over next to June. She looked like she had been trapped in Hell for a week and just got back.

"You know, you didn't have to come." Andrew told her over the low purr of his motorcycle.

"I set out to arrest Culverton, here I am to make the arrest," she told him as she shot ahead, giving him the cold shoulder she had given everyone throughout their time at the academy.

Andrew sighed and moved over. He heard Yvaine pull up next to him, his eyes rolled, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with her antics.

"You just can't reason with us can you?" she asked with a surprising amount of spunk for someone who came off of physical rehab early.

"I never could with you."

"You did that one night in bed. When are we trying that again?"

"Never. Focus."

"Rookies, I want two rows. We're on the outskirts of Culverton's base and we are approaching a tunnel." Dredd barked into his comm unit, making the rookies jump a little.

Andrew lined up behind Pete who was behind Anderson. Dredd led in front and to the left of him was Anderson. Behind Dredd was June followed by Yvaine. They slowed to a crawl as the drill in front began to bore a giant path for them to march through. Bits of dirt and debris flew back and into Andrew's mouth, leaving a nasty taste of sulfur and burnt wood.

A few minutes of unbreakable tension later the drill pushed through and they came out onto a stretch of city. Ruined and falling buildings barely held together by mortar stood all around them. Culverton had transmitted from around here, so his army would be waiting.

"Anderson follow me, rookies stay behind with the drill." Dredd ordered as he moved forward with Anderson past the drill and onwards.

It took two minutes for a rocket to shoot off and destroy the drill and then for a building to collapse and separate the two groups. Two minutes before Andrew's mind raced and left one little thought in his head between panic and reaction. _Really?_

"Take cover!" June yelled as her front tire was blown out and her bike crashed into a pillar. The sound made Andrew's stomach lurch.

Andrew jumped off his Lawmaster as a rocket was shot at him. It crashed into it and blew the bike sky high. He winced as he crashed onto the ground, his helmet and shoulder pads taking the brunt of the force, but a stray rock cutting a thin horizontal line across his cheek.

"So that's what they're for." he groaned as he ran behind a wall for cover.

"June report." Andrew spoke into his comm.

"Lawmaster fell on top of me and has me pinned. Can't push it off, haven't been seen yet but that may not be true for long. Need help."

"Thanks for asking how the other two are. We're fine by the way." Yvaine piped in.

"Pete, shut her up." Andrew ordered.

"Will do." Pete replied before the comm went silent.

Andrew peeked around the corner of the wall. June had managed to fall behind a piece of rubble. Much to her word June lay trapped underneath her motorcycle and was, unsuccessfully, attempting to push it off of her. Several of Culverton's goons sat on the second story of a bombed out building that overlooked their current position. They hadn't noticed June through the sheer miracle that they thought she was dead, but he couldn't dash out and push the bike off of her. He would be torn to shreds.

Further beyond them where the drill was heading had a giant roadblock after several buildings had been demolished to separate Dredd and Anderson from Andrew and the others. It looked like they were on their own once again.

Drawing back behind the cover of the wall Andrew spoke into his comm unit.

"Pete, Yvaine, what is your location?" Andrew whispered.

"We have the flank on the nest of cronies, Hi-ex?" Yvaine asked.

"No, that building is barely stable as is. If we shoot a Hi-Ex round off, the building could crumble and the pieces could crush June." Andrew said as he peeked around the corner again. There were five cronies, one with a heavy machine gun, one with a rocket launcher, and three with average assault rifles.

"Pete, give me covering fire. Once I'm out of the blast zone bring it down, hotshot the heavy and the ordinance first and then I'll move. I need at least two to three minutes."

"Rodger, over and out."

Andrew stood and drew his Lawgiver, bringing the cold steel up to his lips he gave it that little kiss for good luck. _Treat your rifle like a man or a lady and they'll guarantee many long years of service. For you and it._ They had told him in the Academy.

Andrew heard two shots fire off and the smell of cooking flesh made his stomach turn, even though he was exposed to it a lot it always seemed to make him physically ill. Dashing from behind the wall and breaking into a roll he managed to get to June unseen. She lay in the dirt trying to push the heavy bike off of her body.

"Damn it man, get it off of me," she whispered as her muscles strained as they attempted to get the object off of the lower half of her body.

Andrew nodded and put his hands underneath the bike, his muscles began to scream for him to drop the five hundred pound utility almost immediately after he began pulling it upwards. The metal groaned and squeaked as the two began to bring the bike up enough that June could begin to wriggle free of the crushing weight. Sweat began to bead and drip down Andrew's face, the strain along with the warm temperatures causing this natural body reaction.

"Stop! You're dripping your sweat on me!" June complained as she tried to get her boot free.

"That's what you're complaining about?" Andrew said through clenched teeth. "Grud you're such a girl!"

"Last time we checked the hardware together I was. It's still gross."

"Drokk it, just shut up and wriggle free already, I can only hold five hundred pounds of dead weight for so damn long."

June was quite after that, managing to pull her foot free. Andrew tried to gently let the bike back down, only for it to slip through his fingers and crash loudly onto the ground. If Andrew was attempting to avoid attention he truly made himself known when he made that little racket.

"Hey, more Judges! Kill them!" one of the cronies yelled as their heads turned towards the pair and opened fire on them. Bullets scattered all around them as Andrew and June ran for cover behind the wall.

June's leg had been smashed a little and she was limping, Andrew groaned and flung her arm around his shoulders and helped her behind the wall. When they reached cover after dodging another wave of bullets, Andrew reached up and pressed his comm unit.

"Blow it," he said coldly.

A Hi-Ex bullet streaked across the air and collided into the side of building, the guns fell silent as brick and concrete fell into a pile, crushing bone and squishing muscle. Andrew looked over at June who was leaning against the wall. The bottom half of her face that was visible was curled up in pain.

"You okay?" he asked, face twitching with care that he tried to suppress.

"Fine, lets go." she told him while walking away from him and towards Pete and Yvaine. Andrew clenched his teeth together in suppressed rage, this woman was almost too difficult to work with.

Andrew turned the corner to see Pete going through the computer on the Lawmaster. His face looked shrunken in disappointment as he typed and tapped away.

"Can't get the battle schematics up, I'd rather not run into any more of Culverton's cronies if I could help it." Pete told the other two as they walked up.

"Good thought, but I have a bigger concern to address right now." Andrew growled as he turned to June. "I don't know who the Drokk you think you are, but the whole time we've been together on this case you've acted like a level ten punk. What are you better than us? Are we not fit to walk beside you and dispense justice like we've all been trained to do? Answer me!"

June stood there, her head started to drop towards the ground. Her shoulders sagged; the tightly knitted composure that she always held was coming undone around her. She leaned back against a broken pillar and put her shaking hands on her helmet and pulled it off of her head.

Andrew and the other two Judges stifled a gasp, what he saw didn't make him any less angry but it was surprising still, June had changed. Her skin had paled and turned the color of alabaster. Something Andrew pondered one how he didn't notice before now. Her eyes had undergone a transformation as well, turning a bright violet. All three Judges were speechless.

"Drokk, what happened to you?" Pete asked as he walked over and strangely began to touch June's skin. June smiled; something was different about her, almost like she had been acting since the assault on Culverton's fortress.

"That magic little shot Culverton gave me? Messed with my genes and my brain chemistry. I recovered at double the rate I should have and woke to my head nearly being split open when I found I could probe the minds of other human beings. But my real change came while I was comatose. I can't explain what I saw, but I saw everything. In my state of ultimate awakening I realized that my attitude towards my fellow Judge had been completely unnecessary. Especially towards my partner, I didn't quite think you would accept the new me as easily as the Hall of Justice did when they found that they had a psychic that could take the pills and drugs to keep us younger for longer with no ill effect on my psychic abilities. But that aside I realized that I've been a bit of a bitch."

"Ya think?" Yvaine sniped, breaking June's incredibly long monologue.  
"I don't know you that well so I can't say." Pete said as he looked down and went back to the computer.

"All I want to ask is if I am allowed to have a second chance? I see things differently now and while I was planning on revealing myself after the fact I see no reason I should hold a grudge against a group of people that have done nothing to wrong me."

Andrew was shocked. People didn't do this; he turned around and looked at the other for guidance.

"I say we let her in, even if it does seem like she is turning a complete one eighty in the course of five seconds." Yvaine said.

"Agreed. Now that we are done debating you guys want to get over here and look at this shit?" Pete asked with a lot of panic in his voice.

Andrew, who still had a confused look at the sudden change in June's behavior shrugged it off and walked over to the computer. Pete was madly clicking around as Andrew heard the screams for backup and support cry out over the radio. A map of the road to Culverton's fortress had been drawn up. A bunch of green, yellow, and red dots littered the map. Green meant a Judge in peak condition, yellow meant they were in trouble, and red meant either wounded, in serious trouble, or dead.

"This is the map five minutes ago." Pete said and pointed to the screen. "See how everyone is green? Here it is now." he clicked and suddenly half the dots turned red or yellow.

"Shit." Yvaine said as she punched a piece of rubble.

"Looks like they were dug in better than expected, where are we on the map?" June asked.

Pete pointed to a spot on the map, it was about two or three miles away from Culverton's stronghold. But that was two or three miles full of fanatics armed to the teeth with a vengeance against Judges. But as of then they were the closest to his stronghold.

"Pete where's Dredd and Anderson?" Andrew asked.

Pete typed their names in and they were circled. Somehow they had gotten backtracked, but it appeared they were moving towards a group of twelve Judges whose dots were turning quickly from green to yellow and red.

"Looks like we're going to have to kill tens to hundreds of heavily armed fanatics, trek over two miles of uneven ground, and then breach a fortress which will no doubt have more defenses to kill a man that threatens to destroy any sort of standing order and protection we can offer. Let's go." Andrew ordered as he began to climb over the rubble that separated them from their goal.  
*****

Culverton sat on a throne of flesh and bones with his dagger teeth in a smile. He took a deep breath in to smell the air, fear and cowardice drifted in and traveled up his nostrils. Fear, it gave him power. It smelled sweet like rain drops off of a strawberry, the taste more savory than human food that could be concocted. It gave him power, sweet power that he would use to remind the humans why the demons of hell ruled their planet after god forsake them in a rain of atomic fire and radiation.

Something distasteful entered his stream. Fouler than the pus that erupted from Bezobab's pus filled sores, repulsive as his thorned cock shoved into the flesh of a virgin, it gave hope. An emotion that he had abandoned when he stepped over the line separating heaven from hell during the fall of angels years ago.

A deep growl welled from deep within his stomach and whistled through his dagger like teeth, breaking any glass within a mile radius. Courage, he smelled courage. Nothing could be more infectious and vile than courage when someone displayed it. It was like a sneeze in a crowd of people, it took one person before it spread to everyone.

His vision extended from his room onto the battlefield. It was that damned Andrew Grey. He stood atop a small pile of his fanatics, daystick in one hand and Lawgiver in the other, motioning for the Judges to follow him. Culverton started to feel weaker, fear gave him strength but courage sapped it. When he made an example of Grey the Judges would remember why they dared not intrude on his territory. He relaxed and let them come. The clock in the corner ticking and counting down to their arrival.

*****  
Andrew shot a bullet between the eyes of an oncoming fanatic. The bullet stopped his advance immediately. The further the four had charged the more fanatics they had encountered. They hadn't even begun to scratch their ammo reserves as they kept finding dead Judges which they would pilfer the remaining unused clips from their cold corpses as they proceeded through the maze of trenches leading to the bunker that Culverton used as his hide out.  
Since June's sudden change in character she and Yvaine had managed to work together quite well. They flowed and meshed gracefully like two dancers in a complex ballet. June would pull out her daystick and swing it at a fanatic, causing him/her to reel in pain for a moment so that Yvaine could shoot and kill the fanatic before they moved onto the next one. Pete was taking cover behind a sandbag, using the computer that they had ripped off of the Lawmaster to guide their way.  
"Pete, how much farther?" Andrew yelled back as he shot a few more incoming guards.  
"Well, according to the map it should be another three trenches." Pete told him as he flipped the computer onto his back and pulled his Lawgiver out.

"That's what you said eighteen trenches ago!" Yvaine yelled as she rolled to avoid a hailstorm of bullets.

"This time I'm sure of it!"

"Nine trenches ago!"

"Shut up and let's move!" Andrew yelled as she motioned for Pete to lead the way. Right down the  
alley the fanatics were swarming out of.

"Rapid fire!" June yelled and pressed the trigger, letting loose a fine stream of bullets to mow the hoard running towards them with nothing but knives and pieces of wood.

Andrew was bewildered; these people worshipped a man who seemed to be the devil himself. They laid down their lives like they were nothing but blades of grass being cut by a blade. No morale lost as they died and their corpses started to stack up into huge piles of bleeding, broken bodies.

The human wave started to trickle down until it was a stream, and then a drop, then to nothing. Exhausting their numbers until nothing remained but the scent of blood and gunpowder. The four Judges had been moving against the tide until they had reached the inside of Culverton's headquarters. The wave had stopped once they arrived at the front door.

Andrew stood there and was about to open the door when it opened itself with a hiss. Rather ominous for anyone in this position. The room beyond was pitch black, even the light from outside seemed like it wouldn't penetrate the inky darkness.

"Night vision." Andrew ordered as he heard a click and it didn't work. "Anyone else having trouble with their night vision?" he asked, trying to make sure his helmet wasn't damaged.

"Yes." came three other voices in unison.

"Flashlights then, looks like stealth is going to be more of a chore than per usual." Andrew said as he flicked his flashlight on. The room illuminated, there was something wrong already.

"Is it just me, or does it look like everything is in black and white?" Pete asked as their beams of light flashed every which way.

Andrew held his hand up to the beam of light to notice that his hand was gray. Not green, gray. He spun his flashlight over to Yvaine whose uniform was black, white, and varying shades of gray.

"What the Drokk is going on?" Yvaine yelled.

"I don't fuc-" Pete yelled before he was tackled onto the ground.

Andrew sprang into action; he ran up and attempted to yank the thing off of Pete. Pete screamed loudly as he shoved against the thing on top of him. Sweat began to bead on Andrew's brow. Whatever it was had six long furry arms that were latched onto Pete with a grip of iron.

"June, I'm going to pull it back. Shoot it, when you, get the, angle." Andrew said strained.  
Planting his feet he called upon every last measure of his strength to winch the thing up a little more so June could place the Lawgiver in between the things fourteen eyes.

"Shoot it! I can't hold much longer!" Andrew groaned out.

June jammed her weapon farther into the creatures face and pulled the trigger. It didn't let go, so June kept shooting it until the things six arms fell limp and Andrew went flying backwards and crashed into a wall. His head slamming back onto the hard surface, which he felt reverberate through his helmet causing him to become dazed for a few moments.

After clearing the tweeting birds and stars that were circling around his head he looked down at the six-armed demon monkey. Its blank fourteen eyes still pierced Andrew with a look of fury and hatred, eyes that never knew kindness or compassion. Fangs that extended out a good seven inches from its gum line looked like they had been yanked from a vampire and drilled into its mouth. It was truly horrifying to look at.

Andrew shuddered and threw the demon monkey away from him. Standing up he looked at Pete who had a few bite marks on him from the monkey's teeth.

"If I get some sort of weird demon virus and die, I'm haunting you." Pete said as he pointed at Andrew.

"Suck it up, you'll live."

June walked over and helped Pete to his feet, giving a little smirk about the whole ordeal. Yvaine cleared her throat and looked around at everyone.

"What I want to know is why we look like cartoon characters from the 1960's? Can someone explain that to me?" she asked as she spread her arms and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess it's due to the fact that nothing we have actually faced has had any sort of logical reasoning to it and therefore we need to assume that nothing will actually make any sort of sense until we sort this giant mess out." Pete said while brushing himself off.  
Yvaine started to say something but paused and thought about what Pete had just told her. "You know, that makes a lot of sense." she replied with a head nod.

"_You are boring me._" came a voice from somewhere in the room. _I was going to make you go through my base of horrors. But now I just want to kill you. See you momentarily._"  
"What?" Yvaine asked before the floor opened beneath each of their feet and dropped them into the black pits below.

Andrew dropped, his hand reached out to grab the edge but his hand slipped and he dropped. He felt like he was being pushed through a tight tube as if he was being birthed once again and he had to push through in order to come into the light once again. He could see nothing in the pitch black that surrounded him. Andrew must have been in there for hours, for seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Soon he was shot out onto a hard metal floor, his body and uniform drenched in sweat.

The other three Judges popped out behind him, just as sweat drenched as he was and moaning in disgust. Andrew looked up, Culverton stood there, but it wasn't him. It looked like a demon had infused himself with Culverton and this is what was left.

"Welcome," Culverton spoke in that stereotypical echoing voice all demons had, which made it that much creepier. "Sorry about the delay, actually no I'm not. You were uncomfortable and that makes me happy. Looks like I have to kill you now. But I'll start with you and July or whatever month the bitch named after."

Andrew watched as Culverton charged them, June and him managed to roll out of the way but Yvaine and Pete were knocked out of the way and they collided into the walls with a sickening crack. They fell to the ground lifelessly, June gasped.

Andrew filled with rage. He stood up and grabbed his daystick from his hip. He spat on the ground as he stared Culverton down.  
"I'll going to drokking kill you. Rapid fire." Andrew growled as he ran towards Culverton, roaring a blood curling battle cry.

"Andrew wait!" June yelled but Andrew didn't hear her cry.

Andrew brought his Lawgiver up and sprayed a burst of bullets into Culverton's body. They seemed to ping off of Culverton but he paid them no mind. When Andrew was close enough, he started to swing his daystick like a mad man at Culverton. Culverton blocked it with ease as he let out a throaty chuckle.

"You don't get it do you? You're feeding me, all that hate, all that rage, just makes me stronger." he growled as he grabbed Andrew by the throat and held him in the air, he was an inch or two of pressure away from collapsing Andrew's windpipe. Andrew raised his Lawgiver but Culverton melted it with a touch of one long claw. "These last few weeks? I planned it. Wonder why no Judge would come near me? Look at me stop looking away. My power caused all of this, the Judge's fear, them assigning you to hunt me down, the only reason that you got this far was because I let you. The Judges are nothing, I rule Mega City One, I am the law."

Culverton screamed suddenly, something had pierced his thick hide and was burning him. Andrew tried to turn his head; he could barely see June standing there with a smoking Lawgiver.

"Exorcist bullets, wish I had found more than one clip." June smirked as she shot the hand holding Andrew.

Culverton dropped Andrew as he rubbed his wounded hand. Andrew stepped back and clutched his daystick. They had a weapon to use against him.

"How many of those clips did you bring?" Andrew asked.

"I only have one, I found it on one of the dead Judges." June replied grimly, one clip wouldn't be enough to kill Culverton. They were running out of options.

"Looks like your ace in the hole is a dunce. Oh well, time to die." Culverton roared as a stream of fire erupted from his mouth.

Andrew ran over to June and tackled her behind an overturned table. They lay there as the flames began to burn the table away. In their darkest moment the wheels in Andrew's head began to turn. He had an idea. Andrew took his helmet off and looked at June.

"June. Read my mind. On three shoot a bullet into that mother drokker, then follow what I am thinking to the letter." Andrew yelled over the blazing inferno.

June paused for a minute. "You can't be serious!" she yelled. "That's suicide!"

"Maybe. On three. One…two…three!" Andrew yelled and rolled out from behind the table. June shot a bullet into Culverton and the flames stopped.

Andrew had his window of opportunity; he ran up to Culverton and jumped onto him. Grabbing ahold of two spikes that jutted out of his shoulders. He was face to face with the demon/human, his breath smelled of damned souls and fear.

"I have one thing to say to you Culverton." Andrew sneered as he stared directly into Culverton's eyes. "Everything you did, every life you took, every moment of suffering. Thank you." Andrew finished sincerely.

"What?" Culverton asked he didn't see that one coming either.

"You know I've fallen in love with you. Not a love for a leader but a lover. The most purest, sincerest, and meaningful emotion I can give you. I hope you take this as a worthy sacrifice."

Andrew then did the one thing that would be remembered forever, tales would be sung and poems written. He leaned forward and kissed the devil straight on his maggot-infested lips. Culverton shrieked as he felt the pure emotion drain into him. He couldn't take it, it was draining all of his power, how could one child defeat an immortal like him?

Andrew tried to hang on and keep the kiss sincere, he poured every good memory, every meaningful touch, every last emotion he could pump into Culverton to destroy him, and it was working. Andrew felt the demon start to recede and tear apart. He swelled and bulged until he exploded, sending Andrew flying back a few dozen feet. Soon nothing but a ghost of Culverton was left standing. He began to wisp up and attempt to escape.

"June now!" Andrew yelled.

"On it." June told him as she pumped her exorcist bullets into Culverton's ghost. She put a hand to her temple. "I don't know many tricks yet, but I do know how to cancel out your psychic wavelength. Immortal or not it still consists of vibrations, and every vibration can be canceled out with a counter vibration."

Culverton began to scream as June threw her Lawgiver onto the ground and pulled her helmet off. She put two of her fingers on each temple and then began to think. Culverton spun and groaned as he slowly began to fade from existence. Soon he disappeared, not a trace of him left but the momentary echoes of the final screams of Culverton's spirit.

June slumped and fell to the ground; Andrew stood up and walked over to her.

"Well partner, we did it." he told her as he helped her up. "It's all over."

June gave Andrew a small hug, a sign of affection that was rare between Judges. Andrew returned it before walking over and checking on Pete and Yvaine, barely conscious, but still alive.

"Let's get out of here." Andrew told June as he slung Pete over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. June did the same to Yvaine and then they started to walk out of Culverton's base.  
*****

Andrew and June walked out onto the battlefield. Medical wagons and various other vehicles were driving around, collecting the dead, tending to the wounded, anything that could be done to help.  
Andrew heard a Lawmaster and a medical wagon stop next to him. He turned to see Dredd and Anderson sitting there. Anderson looked happy and gave him a silent nod, Dredd just kept his mouth in a straight line, the closest thing that Andrew would ever get to a smile or a sign of approval from him.

"Rookie, good work. Medical wagon is right behind me, get in and get your wounds taken care of then report to the Hall of Justice tomorrow at 0900." Dredd ordered before driving off.  
Andrew and June made their way to the medical wagon and got into the back of the vehicle. Two fussy medics took Yvaine and Pete off their hands and set them on stretchers in the back. Andrew sat down on one of the seats on the side of the wall and leaned his head back. June sat next to him and did something similar. Andrew smirked and clasped her shoulder.

"Great working with you partner." Andrew told her before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Letting the medical wagon drive off to take them to a hospital for a well-earned rest.


	11. The Lovers

Deep within the Emerald Isles of Ireland some strange phenomenon started to occur. The barriers between this world and other worlds started to bridge together and rip open. Sucked into the void and transported to this world they left worlds that they had untied through their love and "sacrifice" and were brought to this world. What they would was not entirely certain.

Alice Raven Hunter Aqua Sinister was the first one of these people to be transported into our world. Her hair was raven black with purple and blue highlights that matched her black nail polish. Both of which complimented her awesome pale, marble skin that looked just like one of the vampires out of _Twilight. _.Especially since she had a boyfriend named Edward who was one-fourth vampire, one-fourth werewolf, one-fourth walrus to account for his rather large penis, and one-fourth magical sprinkles of awesome sauce. He was about to propose to her with the Hope Diamond while riding her pet Loch Ness Monster, it preferred Nessie, when she was sucked into this crap of sack world.

On her back was her soul craving scythe/key blade of utter darkness and light. It could rip an evil soul out and then infuse them with pure evil or pure good to make them lovable and amazing like a small puppy, because you were still awesome if you were one or the other in her world. She had gotten it from a wise old man who was supposed to have given it to a different person but realized she was so megarrific that he had to pass along a weapon that he had guarded for ten thousand years to her after she batted her eyelashes.

"What in holy Aphrodite?" she exclaimed to her goddess, a religion that she had single handily brought back from the dead. "Where are Edward and Nessie? Why does everything smell like half day old baked Alaska? The one thing I find totally most unfantabulous and would cause a complete and utter apocalypse if it went unchecked!"

"Calm urself. All the Basked Alaska in da world wil DIAF when we take zis world ovur." a voice that Alice recognized immediately even though she had never heard it before except for hearing it five seconds ago.

Alice ran over to a shadow emerging out of a dark alley. She bowed before her and placed her hand over her heart like she knew the pledge always went that she had figured out two seconds ago. "Hail to the queen of queens, Evony Darkening Insanity Crow Pathfinder. May your awesomeness always be kawaii and your sex always be amazing."

"Tankz my child. E now awit ur brothers and sizserz. Then we will make this whole world kawaii." Evony told her while patting Raven's cheek and smiled to reveal white teeth with pentagrams branded into them, which went with her MCR shirt and torn I Love Satan leggings.

"It will be megariffic." Raven replied as she stood up and kissed Evony, turning bisexual for the first time ever but totally justifiable, as Evony was really damn hot okay?

*****  
Andrew and the other three members of his group that made up his "posse" disembarked off of the giant ship. Cracking his neck Andrew walked down the ramp while watching Pete run over to the side and puke his food from the last three days out. He watched Yvaine walk over and rub his back gently and pull him away.

"Don't worry honey; we're off the bad boat now and on solid land. No more sea sickness for you." Yvaine said in a soothing voice that could have been comparable to one's mother.

"How does the navy do, ugh, do this crap? I spent four months training on a boat, gak, and I still can't handle being on a boat. Why didn't we fly?" Pete attempted to speak in between mouthfuls of vomit and bile being shot from his mouth into the harbor.

"Because according to our superiors an apocalyptic war isn't breaking out, therefore it is not needed to get us over here that quickly." June said as she walked over and patted Pete on the shoulder. "Just get it out of your system champ, you'll be up and running in no time."

Andrew cocked his head, while her skin had gone back to its original tanned tone her eyes were still violet. She had started to act more like June, if June didn't have a stick shoved up her ass. There was something off about her however, she lingered more around him. She would give him a strange look that he didn't know what to take as. One time she put her hand on his arm and slowly dragged it away like she was trying to allure him into something.

"Seasickness? He really got that or is acting the maggot?" someone with a thick Irish accent asked behind him.

Andrew turned around to see an Irish Judge. The sheer difference between the American Judges and the Irish Judges was astounding. The main color of the uniform was green, but the Irish Judge's green was lighter, almost a forest green. Their shoulder pads were less bulky and white. In place of the eagle that was on the right shoulder pad of the American Judges it was the Irish Flag. Their gloves were white as were their boots, and their helmet took the green coloring of the uniform with white trim. But the differences in uniform wasn't what surprised Andrew, it was the behavior. The Judge had one hand on her Lawgiver and the other hand holding a cigarette. She smirked as she took another drag.

"I love getting' the rookie American Judges they send every year. The gobsmacked look they always have on their faces, priceless." she told Andrew with a smile as she held her hand out. "Judge Maeve, will you be Judges Grey, Summers, Yvaine, and Smith?"

Andrew was about to speak when he paused for a moment, did she not say Yvaine's last name? What was her last name? He never quite did figure it out. Clearing his throat he looked up at her. "Yes, that would be all of us." he replied as he shook her hand.

"Great, now let's stop footstering and get down to the local for a few glasses of Black Stuff. By then your bikes will be here to take you to your gaff and we can start on the case first thing tomorrow morning."

Andrew nodded and then turned around to motion for the others; he had never seen three more confused people in his life. Truth be told he didn't understand a single word the woman had attempted to tell him. He just shrugged and looked at them with a "just go with it" look. They walked up next to him, Pete still looked queasy from the boat ride.

Judge Mauve pulled the H-Wagon up besides them and the three got into the vehicle. Andrew leaned his head back and wondered what this black stuff was that they were going to get.

*****

The hoard of various Mary and Gary Sues were gathering in the underground tunnel of Awesomeness, Excitement, and Lovemaking, that had been made in ten minutes after Ace the Cool Macho Sexy Guy had carved it out with his laser beam of ultimate manliness and sex appeal (his abs if you preps were wondering). They danced and fucked and painted each other's nails with nail polish from Hot Topic, even the guys painted their nails because they set a new fashion trend even though no one had seen them yet.

On the stage, which had pentagrams and pictures of MCR and Good Charlotte and a picture of Avril Lavinge with a big C (because C's are cooler than X's you PREPS!) through her. On the stage Evony Darkening Insanity Crow Pathfinder came walking. She was dressed in a tight purple and black corset, torn fishnets, a mini skirt that barely covered her sexy lips (yes those ones you uptight preps, STOP FLAMING), black and pink nail polish from Hot Topic and ten-inch high heels that she walked in perfectly.

The hoard of Mary and Gary Sues saw her and got down on one knee and began to say the pledge. "Hail to the queen of queens, Evony Darkening Insanity Crow Pathfinder. May your awesomeness always be kawaii and your sex always be amazing." they all said perfectly despite the fact that they got there ten minutes ago.

"Hello brotherz and sizterz. We will make dis 'hole world kawaii and amazingz. For e' are da only good dings left in da whole universe!" she yelled to get a roar of cheers and pentagram covered bras returned to her. "1 last sizter is missing and she fightz 4 da otherz! She will join uz and make dis hole world sexy and kawaii!"

"Hail sexy!" the Mary and Gary Sues began. "Hail kawaii! Hail the new world! Hail Evony Darkening Insanity Crow Pathfinder!"

*****

**Much later **

Andrew woke up with a huge hangover. Once he had gotten a taste of the black stuff he got irrevocably hammered. Groaning he rolled over to notice he was in a hotel room of some sort, he thought the Judges would have put him up in their barrack or something of that nature.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and noticed he was naked. Something that was odd since he rarely if ever actually slept in the buff. His pants were nearby and so was a clean set of underwear. Putting both of them on he stood up and stretched, popping his back in three different places.

Walking to the bathroom he began his morning ritual of brushing his teeth, showering, shaving, and then getting ready for duty. He looked in the mirror, half his face scowled at him as it normally did because of his scar. On the countertop in the bathroom was a bottle of asprin with a note that said, _had quite a few last night, take three and get to the station whenever you and your partner wake up._

Partner? Andrew thought and his mind raced when he heard a groan coming from the other room.

He peaked his head around the corner to see a mop of black hair lying in the bed he had been. He went back into the bathroom and started having a very mild panic attack. Pacing back and forth, hyperventilating, the whole nine yards. He just did it with someone, and he couldn't remember who it was or how it was.

"You okay?" June's voice came from the bathroom door.

Andrew turned and looked at June. She had nothing but his undershirt from his uniform on.

"Fine." Andrew said quickly.

"Want to pretend this never happened?" June asked.

"Yes."


End file.
